Christmas decorating

It's that Christmas time of the year, so let there be...


Lights in the windows...

Wreaths on the doors..

Shepherd canes and greenery in the foyer...



The fireplace mantle decorated  for Christmas.....with rabbits!

The tree... decorated with ornaments collected over the years.

 But most importantly... the Nativity display...

Now it is time to wrap up the shopping, and do some baking.

Summer into fall

 

Fall arrived some time ago, but I have been denying it. While I like a visit to the mountains...

And some fall color...

I much prefer the seasons spring and summer. Fall is that brown time of year. That time of the year when the days become shorter, and weather turns cold. 
Then comes winter... the days are even shorter, and the weather is much colder. 
Not my favorite time of the year. 

So.... I have been trying to hold onto summer....

...and my rose bushes have not disappointed me. In October they bloomed profusely! 
But it has been too cold to enjoy them outdoors. So....

 I have been bringing them indoors. But all good things must come to an end. 
On November 6, I snipped these last few blooms of the season. 
Today, ... Monday.... I winterized the rose bushes with some extra mulch, with 
the hope of enjoying more blooms next spring. 

.... In the meanwhile there are still a few geranium blooms on the porch to be enjoyed.

 

Hum mm...

 

... I wonder how long they will last.

Labor of love

Having just celebrated Labor day, now is the time to blog about a labor of  love. Twenty plus years ago, I made pecan pies for a family Thanksgiving luncheon. Dad declared it the best pecan pie he ever had, and claimed the little that was left over for himself. Thereafter,

 for each Thanksgiving and Christmas, I would make pecan pies for my family get together, making sure to bake an extra one for Dad to enjoy later. Also, there were those times over the years when I made them for his birthday, and father's day. Then there were those times when I made pecan pies for him just because I wanted to. A lot has changed over the years, especially in the past few years. For the last couple of years I have had to chop up the pecans extra well, because of Dad's tendency to choke, and now there is his decrease in appetite,---even for pecan pie. My days of making pecan pies for my Dad are coming to an end, but for over twenty years, it has been a labor of love. My reward--- the enjoyment he has so freely expressed. 

                    PECAN PIE

      3   Tablespoons butter or margarine

    1/4    cup packed brown sugar

 1 1/2    teaspoons all-purpose flour

      3    eggs slightly beaten

      1    cup corn syrup

      1    teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2     cups pecan halves

     1    (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Cream margarine,(or butter),brown sugar and flour. Add eggs, mix well. Add corn syrup and vanilla, mix well. Spread pecans on pie crust. Pour filling over pecans. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes, or until set - (knife inserted in center comes out clean).

Hummingbirds at my place!

 I tried for years at the farm to attract hummingbirds with little success. I established a hummingbird habitat, and tried different feeders, but all I could get was an occasional hummer.After moving here, being out in the open and not having any habitat, I didn't see how I could possibly attach any hummingbirds. Yet,. after visiting Dad, and enjoying the hummers there, I wish so bad that I could. Then, three days ago, there it was --- staring me in the face---the hummingbird feeder.  All I had to do was make the nectar, and take the shepherd pole out of storage and set it up. It would be that easy, and only minutes to accomplish. I decided,  nothing ventured --- nothing gained. So, I did , but with the attitude that the only thing I was going to attract was ants.

After setting it up, I went back in the house with little hope. But, for what ever reason, I  glanced out about five minutes later-- surprise! There was a hummingbird!

Two hours later --- two hummingbirds!  In less than twenty four hours,  there were three. Then, this morning, and again this evening there were five!  Five hummingbirds within thirty six hours! Am I excited or what.

Oh, --- on the day that I set up the feeder,  this bluebird paid a visit. For about a minute or less it was perched on the pole, while a hummer enjoyed nectar from the feeder. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera in hand, but then some moments are just meant to enjoy.

A bluebird of happiness. How appropriate! 

Hummingbirds

Recently, I spent the day with my 92 year old dad. After lunch we were sitting on his enclosed side porch, watching the hummingbirds. It wasn't long before Dad dozed off.  So, while he napped and all was quiet, I slipped out of the house with my camera to take photos of the 5 hummingbirds that visit his feeder each day. At first I was afraid that I would scare them off. But, no they were not scared. If anything perhaps they tried to scare me off by zooming and darting about my head. However, I held my ground, and was able to get these photos.  Taking photos of hummingbirds makes one realize just how wonderful  a digital camera is. ... Because...  I erased many more photos than I saved!

After Dad woke up from his nap, I showed him the photos that I had taken. My dear dad -with a twinkle in his eyes - chided me for not being able to get all 5 of the hummers in one photo. I wasn't successfully able to get even two in the same photo!

This is as close as I came...

All in all, it was an enjoyable visit with my dad, and a fun photography session with the hummers. When I went to leave, Dad summed it up best when he said, "It's been a good day".  Indeed it was! 

More on grass

This time last year we were surrounded by red clay dirt, and weeds, waiting for the day we could plant grass. That day finally came the 3rd week of November. Then it was a question whether it would sprout, and become established before winter. It did, but we had a harsh cold, snowy winter, and I wondered if our young tender grass would survive it. Thankfully, it did survive, and in April I had tall lush green grass that needed to be mowed. But then came the hot summer sun, and drought, and our grass turned brown and crunchy. I will note at this time that we are not set up to irrigate the lawn. Besides, my time and energy was spent trying to keep our young trees and shrubs alive. Our poor eight month old grass has taken so much abuse! It has endured being planted late in the fall in poor soil conditions, a harsh winter, and a summer drought.

Amazingly, thanks to recent rain showers, our grass is green again!

It is said that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. I say, perhaps so, ......but I have noticed something in our lawn that the neighboring lawns do not have ....

That's right ---weeds!  And not just a few, but...

lots of them!  So it is.  But, I will be thankful that there is grass in with those weeds. and hope for better years ahead with some weed control efforts.

Beautiful and spacious sky

The sky...   a wonderful and ever changing display. Sometimes it's calming blue with fluffy white clouds...

Sometimes... dark yet light at sunset...

Colorful sunsets...

An ever changing display from day to day... with no two days exactly alike.

Then there is the night time display ...

Day or night, looking upward is rewarding!

Invaded by birds

In they came.... a large flock of them...

I was unable to get a good photo of just how large a flock it was!

They spent some time on the ground feasting on bugs, but the roof was a favorite perching spot.

...but I'm inclined to think they were more messy than beneficial. Look at the white droppings around this bird.

3 in 1 Kousa Dogwood

I waited & waited for leaves to appear, but----  it was not to be.  Sadly, the Kousa Dogwood tree that a local Landscape/Shrubbery business planted in front of the house last fall, did not survive the harsh winter that we had. The good news is that the landscape business was willing to replace it. However, they didn’t have one the same size. They had larger Kousas , but I was afraid that a larger tree would have a problem adapting, and end with the same fate as the first one planted.  I wanted to go smaller. OK, ---but the only small  Kousas  they had were 3 stemmed shrubs.   I did not want a shrub like Kousa. (Yes, I know Kousas are classified as a shrub tree). --- Furthermore, the 3 stems  coming up out of the dirt did not appear to be connected.    So, my choices were:     Plant something different;  Go with the larger Kousa, and pay the difference;   or choose the smaller shrub Kousa, and  select  another tree to make up the difference in pricing.   After looking over what I had to choose from, and a mental debate with myself,  I chose the smaller Kousa, and picked out a Sugar Maple to go with it.    My plan --- whack off  the 2 smallest Kousa stems next spring.         

Decision made --- trees planted--- a month later --- I’m still looking at that Kousa wanting it to be tree like.  I can’t wait till next spring. Patience is not one of my virtues!  But I can’t bring myself  to whack off  2 of the stems.   And I wonder, --- just how connected are they under the surface?  I  had to find out. After a good water soaking, I started to remove the dirt around the smallest stem with my hands. Not connected at all!  I was able to remove it from just under the surface without damaging any tap roots! Quickly, I grabbed  a pot and potting soil, and transferred it. Then I discovered the next smallest stem also was not connected, and I was able to remove and transfer it to a pot, without damage to the root system.  I now have 3 small Kousa dogwood trees!

One remaining  where planted at the front of the house…

 

And 2 waiting to be planted. 

Tiny backyard visitor

While working in the backyard, I almost stepped on this tiny camouflaged mulch visitor.
Look closely!

Now for a closer look.....

A tiny toad, being perfectly still, blending in with it's surroundings. With the close up it looks larger, but it is only approximately 2 inches in length. Tiny!