Thanksgiving has come and gone ...

It was a quiet day for me. My relatives generally gather at a cousin's home but this year everyone decided to fend for their own families. That left me with my cats and parrot and memories of Samson. I prepared a beef roast, mashed potatoes, corn that I froze at summer's end, roasted Brussels sprouts and red onions, and yeast rolls. My aunt stopped by to eat with me. A while after dinner, we had hot chocolate with snickerdoodle liquid creamer and cinnamon chip, raisin, oatmeal cookies.

After auntie left, I cleaned the kitchen and had to stop for a little bit of a cry. Had Samson been here, he'd have loved those leftover roast bits and mashed potatoes and all else. It's odd what will tug at the heart at times. I can get through more than one day at a time without crying then something happens and I just can't help it. I've had more heartache and pain in my life than most but I honestly have most difficulty in dealing with this. I never had to do anything but be who I am for him to love me. I know he's no longer ill wherever he is now. That I do have comfort with.

Samson after Thanksgiving dinner 2014

Miss Cleo after a bit of roast on Thanksgiving 2015

Mister after a bit of roast on Thanksgiving 2015

I certainly took no selfies ... that's just not my thing. haha

The weather is dreary and ominous today. These trees are right beside my house. I'm always concerned with the high winds that blow through here. I hope to not wake up with one on top of me. :-)

Did you get a lot of shopping done on Black Friday or Cyber Monday? Lowe's is carrying their Black Friday sales through this week. I'm going to purchase a dishwasher tomorrow. Mine stopped working properly in May. I look forward to having another one. I thought I could live without one but I just don't keep up with the dishes. I hate to have them in the sink and I keep putting it off then I get aggravated at myself. When I saw the sale ad I knew what I would be getting!

I did some Cyber Monday shopping. I made a purchase from knitpicks.com for a mug/teapot/yarn sampler kit with coaster and dishtowel patterns. Someone will get some nice, heavy dishtowels for a Christmas gift. The "dishie" cotton yarn from knitpicks.com is nice.

I hope you've enjoyed the holiday weekend and are now in preparation for the next!

First snowflakes ...

Well ... it's here. What more can I say?

I've prepared the bird feeders and bath. I have a heater in the bird bath so it doesn't freeze. Feeders are hung. I love feeding the animals but I do not like them to get under my house. I live in the country so the mice, large and small, like to get under there and make homes. I can't have that. My cats know they're under there and go crazy. I hesitate to put d-con under there but I know of no other alternative. Any suggestions? A small stream runs by the house so it's the perfect place for animals. :-)  

Winter of 2014, two racoons somehow got under my house. Chewed a large hole in the ductwork and crawled in. Samson went bonkers, as did the cats ... and I, of course. The smell was so offensive. I didn't know what it was until I heard it chattering and then, as I looked through the vent, a little black-masked face was looking back at me. What an expense that was!

I have a few outdoor chores that, as I looked around the lawn, I realize I've forgotten. Tomorrow I'll get those done and all will be buttoned up out there.

I've been spending my days housecleaning (which I've neglected and done minimally the past year) and I am knitting Christmas gifts furiously. 

Forecast ...

WRONG FORECAST: "not more than an inch", said the weatherman. Woke up to over 2 inches and now before 10:30 AM there is more than 4 inches of snow. That silly storm took a left turn and headed straight for us! This is the type of snow that downs power lines and trees. There has been no road treatment for some reason. I've cleared an eating space of snow twice so far so the birds can eat without having to dig through it. The cats are having their usual intense bird watching sessions.

RIGHT FORECAST: 100% chance of knitting.

 

And snoozing ... 

Here we go again ...

It began to snow about 4 AM after a many hours of heavy rain. The snows we've had this season have been very dry and fluffy. This snow, however, is quite heavy and wet. This snow concerns me. It builds up on the power lines and the next thing you know, you're in the dark and cold. So far, we've had about 2" of snow. But the temperatures are in the mid-30s so it should not be too bad. 

I've filled the bird feeders. The cats are sitting by the door watching ... waiting ... hoping to figure out how to get through that clear glass and grab one of our feathered friends. This is a photo from last week when Mister was hiding from the Mourning Dove on the other side of the door. Poor fellow. I've had to close the door when the temptation gets too great and he knocks himself silly trying to jump through the glass.

 

I finished some scarves for Christmas gifts. Here is a picture of one I crocheted for a friend:

 

This one I knitted for a friend. The green is a dark pine green but it didn't photograph well.

 

And one more crocheted Queen Anne's Lace scarf for another friend.

Grow Your Blog - Part 2

For the first part of the Grow Your Blog post, go HERE.

I've blogged off and on over the last 8 years or so. I enjoy it but I'm not consistent with it. Maybe that will change with being a part of Vicki's Grow Your Blog event from 2 Bags Full.

It snowed again last night here in West Virginia. There is about 7" still on the ground. The temperature today has shot up to 48 degrees! That's so exciting. The sun is melting the snow from my car. Two friends stopped by yesterday to shovel my porch and a path to my car. I've a few appointments this week that I hope to fulfill. One is on Tuesday, when the daytime high is predicted to be 9 degrees. Doubt I'll make that one. We, as so many in the country, have been on a weather roller coaster this year of 2014.

I love to watch the birds. Especially in winter. I feed them daily and try to keep water available but in these frigid temps, it's difficult. I looked out the back door last evening and counted 14 deer eating my hemlocks. Eating what they could reach anyway. The trees are about 60 feet high. The deer stand on their hind legs to get to the tips of the branches. I really wanted to feed the deer but I researched it on the internet and it is not recommended. It throws their natural instinct off or some such scientific reason. I certainly don't want to upset the balance of nature so until I have proof otherwise, I'll follow that recommendation. I have seen them feast on the dry cat and dog foods I put out for the occasional stray passersby. They get into the sunflower seeds if they can reach the feeder.

I "craft" just about anything that can be. I cross stitch, crewel, embroider, knit, crochet, spindle spin, redo furniture, macrame, flower arranging and wreaths, took a class in stained glass (and hope to take more!). I've done weaving but don't have my own loom. I post photos of much of what I make. I have not yet posted my Christmas gifts. They'll show up later. Here is a hat I made for my aunt for Christmas a couple years ago. It's crocheted in wool and felted in the washing machine. It was my first time doing this and I was pleased.

I hope you're enjoying the trail of the Grow Your Blog party. It seems like 25 January arrived before I realized. I didn't have time to make one post for everything. I hope you will stop by again. Follow me. If I don't offer your preference, please leave me a comment and I will make that change. I'm going to add Google Friend Connect, as requested by one commenter, as soon as I figure it out.

Thank you again for visiting. I will visit you in the next few days if I know you've stopped by.

The Pink Scarf Project

This is a re-posting of a prior post. :-) The end of the Pink Scarf Project is drawing nigh. Please consider purchasing or making a pink scarf and donate it to this great cause.

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Whether you've been affected or not by breast cancer, I ask you to consider contributing a pink scarf, whether handmade or purchased to The Pink Scarf Project. Vicki at 2 Bags Full is hosting this endeavor and putting unimaginable effort and creativity into making this a beautiful and meaningful way to say "you're not alone". I know firsthand how one simple act of kindness can bring a lifetime of gratitude and appreciation and warm memories for years to come.

I've meant to do this for The Pink Scarf Project for quite a while but never took time to really look into it. Today, I did that and I want to pass on the information to you and ask that you take time to hand someone a smile and a gift that will last a lifetime. Recently, my cousin (9 girl cousins grew up in Plum Hollow, same as sisters) was diagnosed with breast cancer as her daddy (my momma's brother, a daddy to me too) lay in a hospital dying. It was difficult for us all. She caught it early, due to a series of events only God could orchestrate, and had a lumpectomy. Of course, we never know what tomorrow will bring but I am so grateful to God that she is well today.

If you don't want to take time to read through the post, here's the gist: purchase, crochet, weave, knit, whatever art you prefer to make a neck scarf for a breast cancer patient/survivor. The color is pink. Other colors are acceptable with it, but it should be predominantly a shade of pink. That, after all, is the color that symbolizes breast cancer. I've included below the mailing address for the scarves. I ask, at some point before you mail your scarf, that you read the entire post and view the beautiful photos that Vicki has painstakingly staged for this spectacular event.

A special address for these donations has been created:

"Pink Scarf Project"

311 West Main Street

Grayson, Ky 41143 

(Please note that this address is for scarf donations only.)

 

Thank you for joining in ...