We saw 74 today..sunshine and a nice breeze. Walked the yard again and saw I have several hosta popping up in different places. Two by the buikding on each corner..those were transplanted from next door last summer. The supper dishes are now calling me. We had beef stew and green beans..leftovers for a day or two.
We have spots of moss on the N side of our yard too, and it's a shady area. We have 0.24 of an acre, not not a lot of yard, but it is becoming a chore to keep up with...especially in the summer. I don't operate the mower anymore..we do have a riding mower, but it's old and needs work done. David has never been a fan of cutting grass, but he's been doing it since our son moved out last spring. I imagine we will end up hiring someone to start cutting it, not this year, but next most likely. David enjoys working outside in his workshop and recently built a work table to use inside the building. It just needs to be stained.
I so agree w/you... every spring I wish it were, instead, our going into Fall. Most don't understand that depression. lol Soon flowers will be blooming that other life depends on... including our enjoyment of them:) But when they're gone, what's left is agony: HEAT. Happy weekend, Darlene!
☘️☘️☘️ Sunny, windy day here, but bearable. We've been working outside off an on. The storms from Sunday went around us. We did get about 1/2" of rain. We could still see another few cold snaps..it's the way the weather rolls here this time of year..Spring and Winter colliding..
1st Monday, 1st work week of new month. I sure hope this new year slows down, unlike last year... well... maybe it can hurry thru summer post-haste & double- time, and get back to autumn/winter soon, Darlene. aughhhh how I dread what's coming. Like your new page, pal. *hugs*
I hope your day is both blessed and beautiful. Be sure to enjoy it completely! Darlene, I am not a summer person either. But I love to garden and grow flowers and such so I have to tolerate it. If I could skip over May through August, I'd be happy. However, I just pray for endurance in the hot months, eat all the fresh tomato sandwiches I can, load up on cantaloupe and watermelon and.....suffer with a smile. HEHE
Haven't been around much but I just got a friend request and it got me to log in and check it out. We haven't got a lot of snow this year and I hope it stays that way. Good hearing from you.
Happy mid-week, Darlene. Hope you're spending lots of time enjoying the snow scenes you still have, and looking forward to those probably still to come:) *hugs*
We have made it to midweek, Darlene! How's your week been so far? It is a perfect day here and I'm accomplishing much. 70* F and sunny. Getting my household work done so I can spend time outside this afternoon. My daughters are all lamenting the fact that they are at work and can't play outdoors on such a beautiful day. I will enjoy some sunshine on their behalf. Think they'll notice? LOL
The weekend is here. I should have gotten groceries today, but decided not to go. That means a Monday trip there. I don't like going to a grocery on the weekend. More people and less inventory. We don't have any plans since David has to work (from home). We will probably eat out the following weekend at a place up in Morganton..a restaurant we've been wanting to try. Hopefully it will be warmer there next weekend. It's located 80 minutes NW of us.
Our second snow event came and left as fast as what fell yesterday. The sun came out around 4 pm. Tonight's low 17. Looking forward to warmer temps next week.
Happy Thursday, Darlene! It snowed a while this morning but it's done now and mostly melted. Quite cold today; only to reach upper 30s. Looks like an afternoon in my craft room is in order. Have a great day, whatever your weather and whatever you are doing.
Wow! That was some spread you were served for your meal. I love all you had, especially stuffing (aka dressing in the south). Sending this sinful delight for your enjoyment... it has marshmallows on top:) It makes my mouth water. lol Have a happy Monday, Darlene, and stay safe always. -di
G'mornin', Darlene. Lisa let me know you're having problems posting to my page. Noone else has said anything about it, but they'd have to do what you did: ask someone to relay the msg to me. Yes, about a week ago I allowed MS to install a major update to my computer, tho can't figure out what that would have to do w/NOTH... its like I had blocked you somehow by accident, but I checked that and I haven't... you're still a good buddie:) Maybe if you asked admin they'd know what was going on. Hope your week is going well, and that you have some snow coming? We can't get cold enough lately, after all that wonderful winter we had a month ago. Take care. I don't know if you have my email addy, so will leave it here in your messages. *hugs*
Hi Darlene Wednesday night its going to get pretty bad ,an ice storm is on its way.
Our area won`t be getting the worst of it , but still it can be dangerous.
I will be more cautious than i was last time.
If we had weather like this more often i would have some cat litter handy.
Don`t know if you heard of this yet.
The next time all seven planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) will be visible together in the night sky is on February 28, 2025.
However, they will not be in a perfectly straight line, but rather appear in an arc due to their orbits.
Hello Darlene. As I sit here looking out the window into the bright warm sunshine I’m thinking how different it is where you are with snow covering everything. At the rate this month is speeding by autumn will soon be here. Seems once Xmas has passed the days simply fly. Had lunch with friends yesterday to celebrate 3 birthdays. Good friends and food and a fun time. Our Scrabble group will commence again at the end of this month as will the fortnightly ladies Social gathering. I must confess I’ve enjoyed the break although it will be good to catch up with everyone again. What have you been doing? Do you like reading or prefer watching TV? Enjoy the new week Darlene. Hugs Pat.
The birds, squirrels & chipmonks are enjoying the warmer morning, scurrying here & there. I love watching them sharing the bird feeders. lol I'm doing chores (dusting, yuck), but enjoying a thankful Thursday. Same for you, Darlene. *hugs*
So glad your finally getting the snow as I know that’s what you like to see. Do you have to keep your driveway clear? Have you machinery to do this? That’s one problem we don’t have to contend with here.
I can imagine/visualise the snow on the pine trees and yes, it would look pretty especially on the days when the sun peeps through. Do you have bird feeders for those little creatures who would find it difficult to fine food? I’ve a bird bath in my front garden and when I have the front door open I can see them having a ball of a time drinking and splashing in the water.
Yes, the new medication has worked wonders and my BP has not been this low for many many years. None of the other medications I am on helped but with this added new one it’s made the difference. Although the side effects with this medication left me so lethargic and feeling washed out with my mornings mostly wasted in sleeping I stayed with it because it was working. The drop was huge to what it had been and I think my body had to make an adjustment hence the side effects which have gradually improved this past two weeks.
It’s a very pleasant 71* today and quite the contrast from yesterday when the max was 100*. Mind you we have been fortunate so far this summer with just the odd hot day.
For some unknown reason I’ve been sneezing all afternoon and can’t stop. There must be something in the air causing some allergy. I do suffer with mild hay fever so I guess that the problem. Hugs Pat.
Winter Wonderland is gone, but have enjoyed the 3 1/2" of the pretty white stuff Fri, good for snowmen, snowball fights:) Happy new week, Darlene. Thx for wishing us snow... it worked!:) *hugs*
Just took this a few min ago..he a,ways enjoys sitting on the front porch swing in the evenings. I'm sure in a short while, he will be scratching on the front door. Be safe as we await this mini storm. Sounds like we will see more freezing rain than snow...
Brrrrr! Hope you are staying warm in this cold weather, Darlene. Makes a person want to stay snuggled up in bed, burrowed in the covers, with a good book and a steaming cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate on the bedside table. Reality doesn't allow for that but it's fun to imagine, huh? Have a great aftermoon and evening as we head into FRIDAY! And, in my area, the possibility for snow. Followed by sleet and freezing rain. Snow is wonderful, ice is not.
My apologies for dropping our conversational ball, my friend. My brother and I have had a time moving our mother into assisted living. It was a lot of work (and we did it the end of July and had all of her stuff moved out and her apartment cleaned by the 31st) and hot--but it was good to have everything packed up and either moved to her new studio apartment, tossed, donated or stored. And amidst all of this, my brother and his wife came down with Covid. Yeah, it was pretty crazy.
You had asked if I decorate for Halloween. Absolutely! But before that, I pull out my autumn decorations and put them out to enjoy. And since it's my favorite season (and summer is my least fave), I tend to jump the gun and put them out at the end of August. Maybe I am encouraging Mother Nature to skedaddle summer and usher in fall as quickly as possible. It never works, but I keep hoping...! I don't have a lot of outdoor decorations, though. Not for any holiday. Though our daughter did give us a giant light-up rooster for Christmas decorating. We thought it was hilarious (since we have chickens and one cantankerous rooster), but with all the wind we get slamming up and down the Columbia River Gorge where we live, having him stay upright wasn't the easiest thing to do. He stayed in the garden shed for the holiday season, as no one wanted to get it out and try to figure out how to secure the beast for ourselves and others to enjoy. Next Christmas, though, I'd like to give it another try.
Jambalaya is really tasty stuff. But I want to share a story about the first time I tried it. Being a northern gal, jambalaya isn't something I grew up on or even thought about having for most of my life. But my brother (I have only one sibling--my brother, Patrick) decided that he would make some for our Christmas eve celebratory dinner. He didn't have any Cajun spice so found a recipe on the internet and proceeded to read it wrongly. Instead of a very small amount of cayenne pepper, he put in at least a Tablespoon. Merciful heavens, I am a wimp when it comes to "heat" in food and that stuff like to have blown my palate sky-high! Even with milk and sour cream (the milk to drink, the sour cream to slather on the jambalaya), I could barely handle it. I should have refused to eat it, but my brother made it and was so proud of himself for doing something new and I didn't want to disappoint him by tossing it out. You'd think after that experience I'd have been avoiding that dish like the plague, but I found a recipe and made some myself--but I was very careful when I mixed up my Cajun spice mixture to omit the dratted cayenne pepper, using red pepper flakes instead. You can use several proteins in that dish, but I tend to use shrimp and sausage. I know chicken can be added also, but I prefer it without.
I don't think we have any Cracker Barrel restaurants out our way. I've no idea why, but there are quite a few chains--not just restaurants, but grocery stores, too--that have yet to make it to the west coast. Some just not to the Pacific NW. It's very frustrating (especially since we have no Aldi stores out here) but there isn't anything I can do about it. Having someone else cook your T-day feast for you (and clean up afterwards) sounds like a lovely way to celebrate Thanksgiving to me. Hubby, Dennis, and I split up the cooking. He brines and roasts the turkey, peels, boils and makes mashed potatoes and makes gravy. He also puts together peas and pearl onions, which no one besides himself thinks much of but it's important to him so we hunt up frozen peas and frozen pearl onions so he can have them for the holiday. I made tea breads, whatever dips or spreads sound good, cranberry sauce, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and several salads. Oh, and Dennis bakes the Rhodes frozen rolls ahead of time so we have those, too. Along with sparkling cider (non-alcoholic, we like their "blush" flavor best) to drink. I make dessert, too. This year it was a dessert whose recipe I got years ago from my MIL called "Better Than Robert Redford". I do believe it's what the southern U.S. would call a "Lush". Layers of pudding, cool whip, cool whip mixed with cream cheese and sugar all in a crust made by mixing chopped nuts, flour and butter mixed together and baked. Yes, it's a ridiculous amount of food but we have leftovers for days and don't have to do more than reheat stuff, so get a break from cooking once the holiday is over. Which is good, because as soon as the feast is over and the dishes dealt with, the fall decor gets packed up so I can start decorating for Christmas the next day. I hate Black Friday (crowds of shoppers do not appeal to me in the least), so stay home and start prettying up the house instead. We stopped giving gifts years ago--we have plenty of stuff and don't need more of it (and what we do need...we buy) so we manage to avoid spending time in town during December if at all possible.
It's very nice you had a white Christmas. Ours was green and very wet this year. We haven't had any snow yet--only a few rather fat flakes mixed in with rain which didn't add any color to the ground, they melted on impact. For whatever reason, our winter weather (so far) is more like spring weather. Warmer and wetter than usual. I guess that's the La Nina weather pattern they talk about.
We have a quiet New Year's. I always stay up until midnight since I tend to be a night owl anyway, but my hubby got tired and went to bed so I took him a glass of sparkling cider at midnight--I think the noise our neighbors were making woke him up. Shooting off guns and fireworks. Much less noise this year, though, and I thought that was really wonderful. Noise and I do not combine well. At any rate, my spouse turned a year older at midnight (yep, he was a New Year's baby--sidetracked my in-laws' plans to go to a party that night) and so the drink was a way of celebrating both the new year and his new year, too.
Before I forget to tell you, I love the birds on your page! The color of them--the aqua, turquoise and blues--are so beautiful! I had an aqua bedroom growing up and found it both pretty and soothing.
Ah, I've hogged your space and nattered on enough for now, I think. I do hope your New Year is peaceful, joy-filled, and glorious--for you and those you love the most! Stay healthy and safe, Darlene!
Hi Darlene. Happy new Year to you. I hope it will be an extra nice one for you. No, I didn’t cook myself anything special on the day. Honestly I can’t remember what I had now. I do like the sound of your pork roast & kielbasa, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. I always remember my grandmother cooking sauerkraut (she was Polish). also her German cake. So delicious.
Yes it’s a treat driving around looking at all the houses decorated for the festive season. So much variety to be seen. Makes me wish I was young and fit enough to do it myself. Personally, I don’t think our local Council did a very good job at decorating the Main town centre this Xmas. They keep using the same old decorations and it’s time they bought some new and brighter ones. The old ones are out of date and faded.
I see where you have had snow arrive your way. That must make you happy:) altho I did see on the news where a very cold snap is to happen over the weekend. Did it effect you? It’s difficult for me to imagine with our days hovering between the low 80’s to 100. It’s mostly a clear heat that is easy to live with. Went out to dinner Saturday evening to celebrate a Granddaughter’s birthday. I had Pork roast and Vegies with apple sauce that was very nice. My little fur babies will have their bi-monthly bath & clip this week that they enjoy.
Relax and rest up for our first full week in this new year. Stay warm, Darlene. I, too, wear a nightgown but I always refer to my night clothes as pjs. Our Applebees closed a while ago. It had gone downhill and, sadly, it isn't missed. We used to like to eat there when it first opened. That was interesting trivia about Sinatra. I love the old Christmas tunes he sang and also Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, and whoever else I grew up hearing.
And if old man winter avoids you, you're probably thankful:) Then... there are those of us who love the white stuff and all it's magical scenes and senses linked w/wonderful memories. I know you'll enjoy all the snow you get this winter, Darlene. ❤️ Happy Weekend!
It is a beautiful final Monday of the year for me. No chance for a snowman tree here; it's going to be in the low 60s and the sun is shining brightly. A major cool down is coming later in the week, though. How about your day? What's it looking like and what are you up to? Do you have plans for New Years Eve? I do: jammies on, watching some tv, and crocheting. My idea of a party! Darlene, we will be having pork, sauerkraut and egg noodles for New Y's dinner. A throwback to my childhood in PA.
