November

In November our community offers the opportunity to participate in a walking challenge.  We are encouraged to track our daily steps and compete with similar communities around the country.  The more steps, the more money that is contributed to the chosen charity.  This year it is going towards a local food bank.

The first of November found me joining the group for an early morning walk around the neighborhood.

For me, it has been a great motivator to get outside and walk more.

We have had such mild weather.  Little rain and mostly blue skies makes for ideal walking weather.  Watching the leaves change colors was an added bonus.

On this day I stopped to take note of what was planted in place of the summer annuals.  It looks like a combination of dianthus, snapdragons and dusty miller. 

Back at home the Thanksgiving cactus is blooming.

The blooms on this one are beginning to fade.

It may be all done by Thanksgiving on Thursday.

For the first time I ordered some waxed amaryllis through an online source.  They are supposed to ship in November.  I hope they show up fairly soon as they would be welcome replacements to the cactus when their bloom time is done.

Thanksgiving is liable to be very low key here this year.

A few weeks ago we had two invitations.

For various reasons that has all changed.

It may be just Brett & I here or we may have a visitor or two.

We have a turkey breast in the freezer, plenty of potatoes, vegetables, cranberries and even a box of stuffing on hand.  One way or another we will celebrate and be thankful.

If you are celebrating, I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.

🦃

Fall Fun in the Kitchen

The leaves have begun to sport their autumn colors.

Mornings now are quite chilly.  The furnace hasn't been turned on yet, although it won't be long I'm sure.  

One morning this week I sat out on the patio hoping to see a hummingbird visit the freshly filled feeder.  

Never saw a one :(

It seems like only a week ago there were many.

I'll be keeping an eye out, but I fear they have begun their migration.

On that note, have you seen the David Attenborough documentary on hummingbirds?  Fascinating!

If that is of interest to you, check it out here.

Our next door neighbors just let us know that they are putting their house up for sale.  I will really hate to see them go as they have been such wonderful neighbors.  We moved in within weeks of each other and have enjoyed getting to know them.  Anyhow, she asked if I might be interested in her Kitchen Aid mixer.  I have been on the fence for many years about purchasing one.  Two things stopped me...

1).  I wasn't sure I would use it enough to warrant the price.

2).  (Don't laugh). I could never decide on a color and I was afraid I would wish I had gone with a different choice.

Through the years it just seemed easier to avoid that decision altogether.  Ha!  

So, now that I don't bake nearly as much as I once did, this beautiful mixer falls into my kitchen.

I know for a fact I would not have picked this brown color even though it is a pretty choice.

When I saw it I instantly thought it needed to be decorated for the fall season.  I tucked into a corner and nestled a couple of autumn themed garlands around it.

Once that was done, it was time to test it out.

Fall always puts me in the mood for Soft Ginger Cookies.

Having never used a stand mixer, I consulted the manual and got busy.

Soon the kitchen was filled with the sweet scent of cinnamon, ginger and cloves.  Yum!

I fixed up a plate to take to our neighborhood Mexican Train night.

A small way to share the generosity of this gift.

With the holiday season approaching, I expect to be getting a lot of use out of it.  Tell me, do you use a stand mixer?  If so, what are your favorite things to make with it.  I'm thinking it could really come in handy for mashed potatoes.

The recipe I use.

Wishing a very Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers.

I imagine your kitchens will be seeing a lot of action in the coming days.

First Fall Touches

Well, Hello There ...

Didn't mean to be away so long.

I've been having problems with being able to upload photos to my blog.  Since I'm not fond of blog posts with no photos, this was beyond frustrating.  My tech skills are very limited.  I tried my usual methods ( restart, turn off, unplug, etc.) to no avail.  Since I wasn't even sure what the problem was, I wasn't sure how to even "google it".  Today I made a stab at it and am feeling quite happy with myself that I somehow made it work.  Not sure if I just got lucky or what, but it's good to be back to it.

The weather here has been delightful.

The cooler temperatures and shorter days have inspired me to clip some hydrangeas for fall decor.

I rounded up several vases and filled them with some of my clippings.  Once the water evaporates, they should be dried and ready for adding to the various baskets and pitchers around my home.

While rounding up the vases, I went through my collection and sent most of them to new homes at the local thrift shops.  Lately I have been in the mood to declutter anything and everything around here.

Since retiring, I am looking at things with a fresh perspective and trying to organize our home (and garage) to align better with this new phase of life.

These limelight hydrangeas were picked a few weeks ago and have dried nicely.  I love how they pair well with my collection of brown transferware dishes.

Starting to sneak a few fall touches into the built ins.

While the calendar is still showing summer, the weather is hinting at fall which always puts me in the mood for nesting.

🍁🍂🍁

In November

Is it really November 21st?

I feel like I just posted about Halloween and next week it will be Thanksgiving.

Today we had blue skies and sunshine until about 3:00 when a noticeable darkness descended in the house.  Odd as we aren't expecting rain.

I took a look out my office window and appreciated the sunlight illuminating the trees with that dramatic dark sky in the background.

I love when that happens.  November seems to be the month for those lighting conditions.

I feel like if we're paying attention, Mother Nature is putting the spotlight on the beautiful autumn colored trees and, in this case, birdies suggesting we take note of their unique beauty .

Around here we are still awaiting our first significant frost.

We had a light frost this morning, but not enough to cause any damage.

The leaves have begun to flutter off the trees.  Although there is still a lot of color to appreciate.

My pansies are happy.

The camellias are blooming beautifully.

Inside the Thanksgiving cactus are just about to bloom.

Since we will be traveling for Thanksgiving, I am hoping that we will be able to see them in full bloom.

How has your November been?

Is it flying at a rapid pace for you too?

🦃🦃🦃

Halloween Greetings

The morning started on a foggy note.

I went trick or treating for my morning cup of coffee.

The trees are well into their autumn color change.

Once the fog cleared, the patio made a nice spot to begin Halloween morning.

Living in a 55+ community means there will be no kids trick or treating at our door tonight.  

Yesterday I was feeling a bit nostalgic so I dug out photos of my boys in their trick or treating days.

Once again I am reminded of how quickly the years fly by.

Instead of passing out candy tonight, I will be meeting some friends to play Mexican Train.  Before I go I'll light up the jack o' lanterns to send their cheerful Halloween greetings into the night.

Whatever your day holds, I wish you a 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN.

Gourdgeous Fall Days

Luckily that frost I was concerned about in my last post didn't happen.  So, my houseplants are back on the patio enjoying these  gourdgeous  gorgeous fall days we are now having.

I had some jobs I wanted to tackle indoors today.

Although it was hard to be inside on such a lovely day, I opened the doors and windows and got busy.

First on the agenda was cleaning under the kitchen sink.

I find the best way to do this properly is to empty everything out,

wipe the cabinets, edit what is lurking under there and then put things back in an organized fashion.

All done.

A few things got tossed and the remainder is now better organized.

The hardest part of this task was getting up and down from the floor.

:D

I discovered a container of stainless steel wipes under there and decided to shine up the fridge, dishwasher, microwave and oven.

Thought briefly about cleaning out the inside of the fridge and freezer and decided that job could be for another day.

Before the sun set on this day I wanted to get outside and see what was happening in the garden.  Couldn't resist snipping these late hydrangeas as the variation of color is so beautiful.

Prior to getting started on my cleaning tasks I brought out a couple of kitchen helpers.  A new to me soup recipe is simmering away in the slow cooker while a loaf of potato bread is baking in the bread machine.  

It's such a nice feeling to know that when dinnertime rolls around, all we have to do is serve ourselves.

All in all it was a most satisfying day in the kitchen.

It's Getting a Little Chilly Around Here

This bud on my hibiscus plant is contemplating whether or not it will open fully.  The warm temperatures that it prefers have vanished this week.  Tonight they are saying we might even see a touch of frost.

Because I'm not ready to take the chance of frost jeopardizing that bloom, we've pulled all of the tender potted plants onto the covered patio for the night.  Before I go to bed, I'll drape a sheet over them and hope they will be protected from frost damage.  

The houseplants that spent the summer on the patio are having a sleepover in the garage tonight.  In a week or two they will be moved back into the house.  After tonight the temperatures are supposed to be well above the freezing mark.  To be on the safe side we will be monitoring the weather closely in case something changes and we need to protect them again.

This morning we had all of the windows washed and believe me, they needed it.

After the job was done, I was going around putting things back together and dusting off the window sills.  It was a sweet surprise to see this vivid blue hydrangea in bloom outside the window next to the bathtub.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that old Jack Frost keeps his hands off the hydrangeas.  This blue one barely bloomed all summer.  It now has several blooms and buds eager to do their thing.  I hope they are successful as I'd love to be able to cut one last bouquet.

The mums on the front porch don't mind the chilly temperatures.

I think it will help them last longer than if it was very warm like it often is at this time of year.

🍁🍁🍁

Has frost visited your garden yet?

Hello October

Hello and Happy October to you!

Although I am listening to the air conditioner humming away outside the window, I know that it won't be long until it won't be necessary to run it anymore.  I look forward to those crisp autumn days.  Have they found their way to you yet?

On this first day of October, I found it a temporary distraction to spread a touch of fall decor around the house.  That would be a distraction from the news stories covering the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.  As you are probably aware, the western mountains of North Carolina were hit particularly hard.  Through the years, Brett & I have visited the area several times.  Fall was often a time we would schedule a short getaway into one of the small towns in the mountains.  The scenery was beautiful and we enjoyed exploring the apple orchards and little pottery studios and art galleries along the way.  

These past few days we have both been comparing videos we watch (in disbelief) of the devastation.  It's hard to imagine the conditions so many people are dealing with right now.  Not just in North Carolina, but South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia as well.

My heart goes out to everyone who has been impacted by this.

Adding a touch of fall to the kitchen counter.

I have been looking for something to put on the kitchen island that was proportionate to it's size.  I think this long dough bowl is the answer.  I filled it with fall items I already owned.  When Christmas rolls around I'll replace the gourds with greenery and maybe some candles.

A little spot by the window to enjoy those warm fall beverages.

🍁🍁🍂🍁🍁

Post Thanksgiving ~ Pre-Christmas

The Christmas decorating is underway at my happy home.

Before I get too immersed in that, a brief documentation of the Thanksgiving that was. . .

Thanksgiving was different in many ways.

My son offered to be the host in his new (to him) home.

One drawback to that is he doesn't cook.

He did offer to provide Costco's version of a pre-made turkey dinner.

That idea was shot down quick by his cousins.

I said I would be happy to help in any way.  But, I decided to let the younger generation come up with the plan.

This is new to me and I found it rather fun to wait and see what they came up with.

I did bring over a few fall decorations and my sister-in-law brought her table cloth.

I felt right at home seated around our old dining room table.

Once the plan was in place, we all brought a few dishes to share.

I guess I should say the females brought the food ;)

My son happily provided the "shelter" (as he called it) and the beverages.

I'll say one thing we had no shortage of food.

It's been tradition for my sister-in-law to bake the pumpkin pie and I bake the apple.  New this year, her granddaughter baked a chocolate cream pie.  

Yum! Yum!Yum!

Hats off to the younger generation for a most successful Thanksgiving celebration!!

Now, back to the Christmas decorating.

🎄🎄🎄

Houseplant Love

With the gardening season mostly over for the year, I enjoy a different kind of slower paced gardening in the form of tending the houseplants.  

Although I've been documenting this for years, it is always such a fun surprise to see all of the buds on my Thanksgiving cactus when it comes in from it's summer vacation on the patio.

After watching this Lisa Emeterio video I was inspired to elevate the look of my cactus.  Instead of the normal pot it was in I chose this Wedgewood bowl that has been gathering dust in the cupboard.  Some moss on the top to hide the "mechanics" and I think it looks pretty good.  Now to watch as the beautiful blossoms unfurl.

My Norfolk Pine always responds well to a summer spent outdoors.

Every year I think I should decorate it for Christmas.

Perhaps this year I will actually follow through.

Pothos is such an easy plant to grow.

The bright shade of green on this one caught my eye in the garden center last spring.  I think it's called a neon pothos.

I particularly like when the sun hits it in the morning drawing attention to it's beauty next to my favorite chair.

Wanting a new plant for low light conditions I recently purchased this sansevieria.  Yes, the good old "snake plant" or "mother in law's tongue".  I am still a bit surprised that I made this purchase as I used to think they were not something I would ever want in my house.  Ever since I was a kid, for some reason, I associated them with "old lady" plants.  I know they have recently become popular again.  Perhaps that is why I am seeing them in a new light or perhaps it is because now I qualify for the "little old lady".

:D.

In reading about their care I learned that they are one of the better plants for purifying the air inside one's home.  They are supposed to remove formaldehyde and provide oxygen in it's place.  With the new rugs and furniture that sounds like a good plant to have around.

I may have to apologize to this plant for all of the bad thoughts I've had about it.

My anthurium did well on the patio until an early frost caught me off guard.  After bringing it in, most of the leaves have turned brown and I've been clipping them off one by one.  It is looking kind of pathetic at the moment.

It almost found a new home in the compost heap until I noticed this new leaf and upon closer inspection there are a few more getting ready to unfurl.  So now I will spend the fall and winter months tending to it with hopes that in time it will once again be strong and healthy.  I am going to start by finding a slightly larger pot for it as I think it has outgrown this one.

I can never resist growing an amaryllis or two at this time of year.

Last year's bulb turned out to be a dud.

I have high hopes for this one.

⚘⚘