i believe in miracles, since you came along...you kitten thing

 More freaky weather, with wildly fluctuating temperatures.  Gorgeous, dramatic sunrises...

...and strange December fogs.

Just like last week, our muskrats frisked whenever the temperature crept into the upper fifties.

I have binoculars in the living room so that I can easily watch their antics.  

We've been a bit slow to get our Christmas decorations up, but things are finally moving along.  Although the real Christmas celebration doesn't start until December 15th, the tree is up and mostly decorated.  It's smaller than our usual tree, but fits the space well.

I love seeing my favorite ornaments.  Some high notes:

This year, I decided to finally put up the candles that I purchased in Germany close to 20 years ago.  They are real candles...

...in little tin basins.  The clips are tiny pinecones!

Todd says that we absolutely, positively, unequivocally must not light these candles.  Some crazy talk about FIRE (eye roll)...but I'm enjoying them in their current state, too!  

Speaking of pinecones, I saw these cookies on Sprinklebakes...

photo courtesy of Sprinklebakes

...and had to buy the mold.  

You push a nice stout dough (like gingerbread) into the mold and peel out the shaped cookie.  It holds the shape nicely when it bakes.  This is great for fall AND winter!

In other news, here we grow again.

Yes, we are trying again with a THIRD cat.  After we lost our dear Bosewichte in February, I've felt his absence terribly.  It's funny...I didn't own a cat growing up, although I 've found several photos of myself with them in childhood.

That must have planted a seed, because when I finally got my first cat in my late 20s, it was instant love.  It didn't take me long to go from having one cat to two.  With a concession to Todd's allergies, we remained a two-cat household.  Returning to just one cat after Bosewichte's death felt...wrong.  

It didn't work out with the first two cats that we tried post-Bosewichte.  Both were young males and highly aggressive toward Tabitha, their relationships finally degenerating into constant biting and scratching after weeks of trying to keep the peace.  After Tabitha started stress-licking huge bald spots on her body, we had to return them both (and both were happily adopted within a week!).  I said, NO MORE CATS.  Tabitha is too small, and creeping into her later years.  She's also grumpy and territorial, and just doesn't like other animals.  Bosewichte was special, but now she's destined to be an only cat. 

But...cats.

So I decided to try again, with a twist.  Instead of a young male, we adopted an older female.  She's around Tabitha's age, and so incredibly sweet.  She cuddles in the bed all night and trots along beside us during the day, never missing an opportunity to rub against our ankles.  She was declawed by a previous owner, and tiny - maybe only six pounds.  She is the epitome of harmless and inoffensive.

Tabitha doesn't like her.  

So far it's been outraged looks, lots of hissing, and one cat fight (likely instigated by Tabitha).  I'm holding out hope that they will settle into an uneasy truce, but I've also held off on naming her.  I want both cats to have a happy home, so we will have to wait and see if neutral coexistence is possible.

But just look at that face!

I'm hoping for a Christmas miracle here.

Have a great week!  

Thanksgiving Every Day?

As the weather cools, I've been enjoying some minor scavenging in the yard. Plants that have wilted and dried still have their own quiet beauty, I've found.

This snail shell, its occupant long gone, waited patiently in the soil for discovery. Every ridge shows up nicely. It's quite a marvel of engineering!

Devoid of its weight, this wasp nest stem tosses in the breeze. It looks like a small, frail wine glass.

This ladybug provides a bright splash of color. It's unseasonably late for ladybugs, but it's been unusually warm until recently and a few are still hanging around.

I bring in more things from the outside. A walnut shell...

...and lots of pine cones. They're very cheerful in their little glass containers.

Some unusual leaves are collected, too, like this spotted one.

We've had a few frosts, too. Tiny ice crystals dot the tops of this wild ajuga plant like a fine dusting of sugar.

Frost collects, too, between the fronds of this plant. I love the frosty, chilly mornings we've had lately! I'm ready for snow.

With that in mind, I knit an interesting hat for a friend's son recently. It looks a bit like a chain mail helmet, which is good for playing dress-up. It has a very pleasing spiral top, too.

For me, the interest comes in the unusual construction. A small scarf is knitted into the base of the hat. It's ribbed, so it stretches easily...

So now he can wear the hat and the scarf can be tied around his neck, or tucked into the collar of his coat. I was quite pleased with it!

I've been doing a lot of baking lately. A old favorite, my favorite braided lemon bread, has been seen around the kitchen several times this past week!

I've been focused, though, on my green tomatoes. My windowsills are full of green Roma tomatoes that are slowly ripening in the sun.

Most of the cherry tomatoes, however, are just too immature to ripen that way. I had a lot of leftover cherry tomatoes...pounds of them. What to do? I hated to waste them. Thankfully, I found a wonderful recipe for no-sugar green tomato salsa. I was a little skeptical when I read the instructions, but I knew my husband would probably eat them, no matter what. He's never met a tomato he hasn't liked. Besides, anything was better than just tossing them in the compost.

I picked as many as I could...

...sliced them up...

...and got to work!

No-Sugar Green Tomato Salsa
Adapted from Farm Girl Fare

2 pounds of green tomatoes, chopped
1 pound of onions, chopped
1/2 pound tart apples, cored and chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
4 jalapeno peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped
2 tablespoons dried cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Combine everything but the jalapenos, cumin, and cilantro in a large pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about an hour. Next, add the remaining ingredients and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Using an immersion blender or, like me, a potato masher, blend (or smush) until at the desired texture.

It can be canned or frozen. It got rave reviews from my trusty taster!

A word to the wise: don't use your fingers to seed those jalapenos. I did, and the juice got under my nails and burned for hours. Also, touching your nose is a fairly bad idea, too.

Thanksgiving is coming up this week. I've been thinking about the holiday and what it means in a broader context. I've been pondering this Bible verse:

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
I Thessalonians 5:18

I want to try to be thankful all the time, not just on a designated day, for my many blessings. I want to be thankful, too, even when "thankful" doesn't seem to be the normal response for a given situation.

I am reminded of Corrie ten Boom's book, "The Hiding Place". Corrie's family was a part of the Dutch underground during World War II. They were eventually discovered and sent off to the concentration camps, themselves, as punishment. Corrie lost her beloved father and suffered greatly in the terrible conditions. She was sent, with her sister, to one of the worst camps, Ravensbruck. 1400 women were in a building meant for 400. It was freezing cold, with a mud floor, and fleas tormented them day and night. Corrie and her sister had smuggled a small Bible into the camp, and they contemplated this very verse. Corrie's sister struggled with the concept of being thankful in this particular setting, but Corrie reminded her that they must try to be thankful, even for the fleas! They gave thanks, and soon their blessing was revealed. The fleas were so bad that the guards refused to enter their area, and the ten Booms were able to start a small Bible study to provide comfort and hope to their fellow prisoners.

Examples like this make me want to be thankful every day...not just on Thanksgiving...for both my blessings and my trials. The next time I want to complain, I will think of this story, that verse, and this one:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

Many blessing to you and your family on this Thanksgiving week!