The miracle of the falling snow

Hello and wintry greetings from Maryland on this beautiful Saturday. It began snowing this morning and I should have gone out before it did because I really need some groceries. Unfortunately, I slept too late. I like sleeping in a little bit on weekends.

This is one of my favorite trees on the property and it's beautiful when it snows.

The first thing I did when it began snowing was to fill the feeders.

Hello there.

I was a gifted this new feeder for my birthday.

It's supposed to be squirrel-proof.

This isn't that great a photo but I liked how this male cardinal was perched on the hanger.

The squirrels are ruining this feeder. 

Wings!

I have a baked potato and a yam in the oven and the house smells of them cooking.

I just thought you needed to know that.

About an hour ago, I looked out the breakfast nook window to see these three mourning doves huddled on the snow-laden branches. They're all fluffed up, keeping warm.

It's near dark as I write this and the snow has stopped, leaving us with about 3 inches.

Today reminds me of a story that was written a long time ago. I found it online and it's about snow falling.

This is a small excerpt from it:

Look up at the miracle of the falling snow, ~ the air a dizzy maze of whirling flakes, noiselessly transforming the world, the exquisite crystals dropping in ditch and gutter, and disguising in the same suit of spotless livery all objects upon which they fall.

~ John Burroughs
from "The Snow Walkers" 1896


Until next time, my friends . . .

I heard the church bells from afar

It's a beautiful spring day here in Maryland and I've spent most of it outside working on the area at the back side of the house. One of the bushes was damaged in a snowstorm and needed serious cutting back. There's also mulching going on and I just had to take a break. Just a few years ago, I needed much less breaks. I could have had the whole side of the house done by now. 

So much has happened since I last wrote in February . . . and I'm so glad that Spring has finally arrived. My Outback was totaled in an auto accident late that month but luckily I ended up ok. I had to buy another car and went again with Subaru, because it kept me alive. This time, I bought a Forester and I like it fine. 

Here's a few photos from my phone. I haven't had the big camera out much at all lately.

The dogwood tree at the back side of the house is finally in bloom.

And I planted some pansies in containers.

They're happy flowers.

My beautiful George.

The day I had the accident, I was heading home to take him to the vet. He'd not been right and my son had texted me to make an appointment because he was concerned about the dog.

It turned out that he'd probably eaten something bad outside which wreaked havoc on his digestive system. After some meds, he recovered quickly, which was a good thing.

He loves the weekends when I'm home.

I can tell, you know.

He's not in love with my son's cat, though. 

I made a pie last weekend while staying at a friend's house in NJ.

It was to celebrate the season premier of my favorite TV show ~ Outlander. 

My TV hasn't worked for over two weeks and looks like it's probably going to be at least another week until things get straightened out. I've been a DirecTV customer for nearly 20 years but my internet is through Comcast. So I decided to delete DTV and go with Comcast TV. Unfortunately, the line outside is damaged somewhere and it seems to be taking them forever to fix it. So I went to NJ to watch my favorite show. That pie crust was fun to make and I used my new pie bird and it turned out delicious. Here's the link to my favorite apple pie recipe:

The Apple Pie that wins hearts

And on that note, I bid you adieu.

I've got to get back to work.

Thanks for stopping by to visit!

The post title came from the first words of a song I like by City and Colour.

You can listen to it here: 

City and Colour - We found each other in the dark

Photos in November

Hold onto your hats folks, because I’m posting twice in the space of a week. Believe me, I’m just as surprised as you are, but the fact is that I’ve been taking pictures again lately and wanted to share some of them with you.

It’s the morning before Thanksgiving and our school is closed until Monday for a holiday break. Yesterday was Grandparents’ Day, a lovely tradition we honor at school and it’s always a nice way to spend the day before break. It’s crazy and hectic but so worth it to see the little ones with their grandparents or special friends. We always have an early dismissal so I used the afternoon to get my Thanksgiving food shopping done but realized this morning that I neglected to buy pecans. Now I have to run out again. Typical.

The photos I’m sharing here were all taken within the month of November – one of my favorite months of the year. I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There’s good food, love of family, and no pressure to buy presents. It’s really quite lovely.

 

I never rake leaves on this property as you can tell from this photo. The lawn service came a few days after this was taken and they mowed them into nothingness. The wind blows the rest of them away into the woods ~

 

This is the hickory tree and its pile of leaves.

I love the hickory tree in the front yard.

 

And this guy.

Even though he rubs his neck in fox poop every time I give him a bath.

My friends asked how I knew it was fox poop and not some other poop.

I just know that it is. I caught him rolling in it once and it’s right in the line that the fox travel on the property.

It’s fox poop.

 

Blackie is a sweet girl, even sweeter now because she puts up with the new kitty. He seems to adore her and follows her everywhere. When she’s had enough, she lets him know and he’s clever enough to stop.

 

He is a snuggler and loves to be held and pet.

Blackie . . . not so much.

 

Hickory branches in the morning light.

 

And border collie in the morning light.

:   :   :

One of my favorite things (and if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times) is enjoying my coffee on the lawn in the morning. I will wrap myself up if it’s cold, but the feel of the sun on my face is just wonderful. I toss the stick or a frisbee to George and the cats come around for cuddles. And life feels good.

 

The setting sun.

* sigh *

 

I have a number of things slated for today, some of which include making two of what have become my signature Thanksgiving dishes. I am really not a fan of pumpkin pie, but when I found this recipe years ago, I realized how good pumpkin pie can be. This recipe calls for a layer of caramelized apples topped with a layer of pumpkin goodness. I posted the recipe here:

Pumpkin/Apple Pie

I’m also making a glazed sweet potato casserole this year which I’ll let you know whether or not is a hit. This is the recipe that calls for the pecans I so inadvertently forgot. I’m also bringing an autumnal salad that’s got a poppy seed dressing that is so delicious. A relative gave me this recipe:

Festive Tossed Salad

I’d better get a move on and get this day started. To everyone in the States ~ I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow. To everyone else ~ I hope you enjoy your weekend to come. Thanks so much for stopping by to visit. It’s always appreciated.

Until next time ~

Hello it’s me

It’s been a decent weekend and today’s weather has been fairly glorious. I woke to chilly temperatures, enough to warrant a light jacket while enjoying my coffee outside on the patio. I took my time waking up, knowing that come tomorrow, it’s back to work and a busy week ahead.

 

I found some wild morning glories growing in some weeds on the property and snapped this with my macro lens and my trusty Nikon.

 

And I baked an apple pie. I never thought of myself as an actual cook but there are some things that I make that don’t require me reading a recipe. This pie is one of them. And hot damn, it is delicious. Recipe here:

{favorite apple pie}

 

And because it felt so much like fall today, I roasted a chicken.

image courtesy taste love and nourish

This is a fabulous and easy recipe. I made a separate dish of roasted vegetables using tiny little yellow potatoes, onions, and carrots. And I made gravy for the first time in my life. I am in my late 50’s and I’ve never made gravy before. It was excellent and I can’t believe how easy it was. Jeez Louize. Here’s the recipe:

{Roasted Herbs de Provence Chicken}

 

Ok, now. Everybody who knows me in real life (and maybe even here on this blog) knows that I’m an Outlander fan. I love the books, the Starz show on TV, and I’m missing it dreadfully. I can’t believe I have to wait until early spring 2016 for the next season to begin. A friend took pity on me, recommending a historical drama on PBS that she thought might be up my alley.

And oh my gosh . . . it is. It’s no Outlander, and Ross Poldark is no Jamie Fraser but he’s a good man and this is a beautifully filmed production. The title character returns to England after nearly dying while fighting against the American rebels during the Revolutionary War. He finds his home in shambles and the woman he loves engaged to another. As he begins to rebuild his life, facing almost insurmountable obstacles, he finds love where he least expects it.

The scenery is exquisite and it’s filmed against the rugged and beautiful backdrop of Cornwall’s coastline. Highly recommend this series, although I’m only on season 1, episode 4. I’ve been watching it here: {Poldark}

 

And lastly, I have a new favorite drink. It’s called a Moscow Mule.

Pour a little vodka over ice, then splash on some ginger beer and top with a squirt of lime.

Delicious ~

 

Pictures from my new phone

It has been too long. Yes, I know this. But I have been wanting to write and to share my photos with you and I believe it’s high time I did. July is not my favorite month, but August is worse. I am not a summer person – the heat wilts me but I am blessed to have air conditioning.

My phone was due for an upgrade and ever since doing a routine software update a few months ago for my Samsung Galaxy, it had been running weird, half my apps didn’t work, and I kept saying that I was going to just get an iPhone. All of my iPhone friends and all of my sisters have been asking me what was stopping me. I have never been an iPerson is why but after getting my first iPhone last week, I don’t know why not. Because I love it.

I especially love the camera in the iPhone 6 and all of the photos here were taken with it.

This was the first picture I took with the new phone – of my living room in the early morning light last Saturday. It would have been nice had I vacuumed the rug but I opened up this one in PS and cloned out the chunk of dog hair that was on the rug.

* snort *

No. I really did.

 

This is my sweet grand-niece, Colleen Elle, who I met last Sunday for the first time.

Lovely lovely little girl.

 

And this is a dog who was caught trying to pull his shark stuffed animal from the wash pile.

After this was taken and the wash hung on the line, I spent the better part of the day scrubbing my kitchen floor. This is a huge job and one that would have taken me half the time in my younger years. I do try to keep my floor clean, but every couple of years or so, I scrub off all the old finish product and all the dirt that forms in the little crevices. On my hands and needs. And when it’s dry, I apply Pledge Floor Finish. A clean kitchen floor is happiness.

But then so is a good cocktail. A good movie. Jamie Fraser in a kilt. And a number of other assorted things.

 

My clean kitchen floor.

Because I am just so certain you wanted to see it.

(not)

 

It rained the other day. I came home from a long workday, angry for some reason or other. I know what the reasons are, but I just don’t want to share them. So I sat and read in my living room (which is not air-conditioned, by the way). I asked my son to put a unit in the window and he never did. It’s in a difficult area to install. After three times, I stopped asking and ended up realizing that I don’t really need it. I am sitting in here now and it is not bad at all even though it’s 88 degrees outside. Plus, not using it really cuts down on the electric bill. Anyway, back to the story which really isn’t even a story.

The sun suddenly came out.

I went outside and saw this picture you see above. Underneath the trees, it looked as if the rain was still gently falling. And I thought it was beautiful.

 

This is the same scene, after using the Waterlogue app.

"I remember every moment, every second. I’ll never forget when I came out of the church and saw you for the first time. It was as if I stepped outside on a cloudy day, and suddenly the sun came out." - Jamie Fraser, Outlander

Don’t even get me started on Outlander quotes. I am a total geek. One of the file cabinets got stuck at work this week and I pounded on it saying, “Open up, ya wee besom.” I was surprised to hear this come out of my mouth. I hadn’t meant to say it – it just. happened.

 

And finally, the wee kitty who still has no name. I call him Kitty. Were he mine, I would have named him but he belongs to my son. Kitty comes when he is called. There have been many nights when I have let him out after dinner and before I go to bed, I will call him and he has always come. He is a good cat and very sweet.

I hope your weekend is a good one. I would visit you if you lived closer and had a pool.

ha.

Home again

I ended up not taking my laptop up to Maine with me this year. I knew that if I took it, I would be buried in it, editing photos or wasting time online and not spending time with my friends. So I left it home, posted once or twice on Facebook while I was gone, and basically stayed off the grid for the 8 days I was away.

And it was marvelous. We stayed in the coolest place, the weather was perfect (even when it rained), and we ate lobster and all kinds of great food, even finding a new and fantastic restaurant right near our rental.

 

The first thing I did was to head up to Cadillac Mountain to be close to my husband. This is the view looking down onto Bar Harbor.

 

And this is the view from our rental cottage. I was shocked to find, upon arrival, that the mountains were this close. They looked much further away on the online photos. So this was a great surprise.

 

I am fairly certain that this is a broad-winged hawk. The island had several of them and this tree seemed to be their favorite perch as it was the highest.

 

Cadillac Mountain in the clouds on a rainy day. We never minded the rain. It was a good excuse to drink sherry by the fire and read a good book.

 

My seat by the fireplace.

 

A field of daisies taken along Point Road in Hancock.

 

George was the happiest I’ve seen him in a long time.

 

Our rental cottage. It sits on the rocky ledge at the tip of Ford Island and is the only house on the 3-acre property. It’s owned by a family who runs a lobster pound. The house is accessible by a bridge that runs from the parking area over the water and up and around the length of the island. I’ve got a photo below that shows a section of the walkway with the house on the right, through the trees.

I was going to review the house but this is their last year of renting it out. The owner told my friends that he’s been renting it for 25 years and he’s going to be moving into it. I believe it’s open one more week this summer in late August. It is a fantastic place that I highly recommend. It might be available this fall too, but I’m not sure.

Surfside Cottage

 

I ventured out by myself several times, once to visit my friends, Lili & Henri Vansluys who live in nearby Sorrento. I took this photo at the lookout spot along Rte. 1 between Sullivan and Gouldsboro.

 

Sorrento

 

Cool-looking sky at Schoodic Point. Mount Desert Island in the background.

 

I had a picnic lunch at Prospect Harbor.

 

Prospect Point Lighthouse.

I had hoped to get a few photos so that I could sell them through the gallery and on my etsy site. And I think I may have realized my goal.

It was a vacation worth waiting for. Good to be home, but I wish I was still in Maine ~

 

Thanks for stopping by today.