It's beginning to look a Lot Like Winter

Zing enjoying the hay.

Saturday was an all day snowfall. We got about five inches of the fluff. It's so much prettier than the bleakness of November. So, now here we are, the last month of 2025. How can time move so quickly by? If I could place time in a bottle. Don't I wish.

Place Time in a Bottle 

It's Me Again

Good morning one and all. The hustle and bustle of the holiday is over and I am finally unstressed. How can someone with three people at the table become so stressed? My stress line has obviously lowered by a lot. Lori had asked for a photo of our Thanksgiving table and I remembered partway through to do so. The Thanksgiving plate is rather brown, at least at my table but, hey, it's potatoes, gravy, dressing and turkey. I have whittled it down to the basics over time.

We had a pleasant afternoon. Matthew talked about his new career, how much he has learned over his orientation period and how much more there is to learn. His co-workers are great and he feels like part of the team. We are proud of him for taking this big step at this age. It is a brave move. He was relaxed and seemed happy.

Of course, it wouldn't be Caturday without some cats and the Cat Man. He is a cat magnet. 

 

I cannot close without a weather report. It's been cold and today we are having snow, 2"-5" predicted. I may be plowing. It is pretty.

 I’m not going to be around for a few days, I’m actually busy!

See you all soon. Nothing is wrong, just got my mojo working. 

Tip-Toeing Toward Independence

I walked into the kitchen yesterday afternoon and saw the elusive  November sun casting a glow across the living room. The sun is so rarely seen during November it felt worthy of a photo. It was much more vibrant in person, but it does bring a little light to a day.

Another news flash; I drove into Waconia by myself. Again! This makes three, count them, three trips in the car by myself. I feel like a newly driving teenager. Well, more like an old lady trying to regain some independence, which may be close to the same thing. It was a grocery pick-up, so driving was the extent of the adventure. As an aside, my olive oil has gone up in price by $4 since a year ago. I have order records so I know this is not my imagining.

I have everything but the turkey for Thanksgiving. Mark will pick that up from the meat locker on Wednesday. There is a farm in southeastern Minnesota that raises free-range turkeys we have been buying for years. Now I need to muster my ambition. I don't know if Matthew will be here. With his new career he will very likely be working. He was able to find a job relatively quickly at a major hospital in Minneapolis. He is happy so far, which is wonderful. To switch careers at fifty-one is a courageous move. 

Now, a second to honor all cats on this Caturday.

 Happy day to one and all.

Home Is Where the Hearth Is

Now that we are finally having November weather I am into the hygge of the season. I have a friend in Denmark so the word carries meaning for me. This time of year the sunroom is renamed the snug, for good reason. My favorite room in the house.

In the meantime......

Frieda decided to emulate a Gustav Klimt painting. She is talented.

 

The Evaporation of Reality

I think that bridge in Brooklyn is still for sale.

 

Peaceful Day

Good day one and all. We have now returned to November weather. Mark has filled my woodbox, which makes me happy. The wood burns fast because it's softwood. We have a continuous supply of fallen trees so the wood is free, unless the effort put into cutting up trees is added in. 

With chilly weather comes my incessant photos of soup. Pasta from Italy is scheduled to be affected by tariffs, I believe, December 1st. All the pasta I use comes from Italy. I will need to fill the cupboards. I've already decided I'll make my own long pasta and ravioli, but not the short pasta. This is perhaps my favorite. Cavatoppi. It is a firm pasta which makes it very good for soups.

I have a few bags of apples from our ancient non-hybrid tree in the freezer that are more than two years old. They aren't freezer burned so I used a bag for an apple cake yesterday. A simple, pleasantly sweet joy, one I don't take for granted. That wonderful tree hasn't been producing apples for at least two years and this makes me sad.

As Monday is laundry day that's the big plan for today. Dora had posted about setting up a daily list, something I have done before and not followed through. My only planned day is Monday laundry. Not being busy makes it so easy to let things slide with the excuse that there is always time tomorrow. Tomorrows are seeming limited. I do know I must make bread today. We are down to the store variety. Oh, no!

Saturday

It's the middle of November. How is this possible? I had a realization this morning, even before my first cup of coffee, that Thanksgiving is almost here. Mark ordered a small turkey although a chicken would have satisfied me. He must have turkey. 

We are in a warm spell. Yesterday was a surprising 67F. On the exciting side of life, Mark got the manure spread on the pastures over the past two days. Another thing for him to write off his anxiety list. The horses all look good as we head into winter. My old gal, Babe, is a chipper 31 year old who still has her sassy jaw snapping trick. She couldn't be less aggressive but she sure likes to think she is.

A couple of putty tats for our viewing enjoyment.

Frieda blends into the chair, making her nearly invisible. The cats are enjoying the unusually warm and sunny weather on the screened porch. Nothing like napping in the sun. Or on a pillow on a chair.

Not our Thanksgiving turkey, but a nearly grown turklet following the herd. Well, flock. There are two mamas and many youngsters. They live in the woods north of the barn and spend much of the day roaming the yard in search of food. We also have three young deer living there. They are safe here. Private property, no hunting allowed.

We had a hodgepodge dinner last evening. Leftover Italian sausage, onion, garlic with a little wine and cream sauce mixed with a wild rice blend. Also some peppers and zucchini from Neighbor Bill. It was really good, better than it looks.

Our Culligan Man was here to change filters on the reverse osmosis system so we are protected for another year. Well water is no longer all that pure.

Goditi la giornata. Enjoy the day. I'm working on my Italiano, Cheerful!

Mild and Sunshine

I had an appointment on Monday for the annual wellness check. I asked for a muscle relaxer to help my back. The NP felt along my spine and was kind of surprised how tight I am. I got the relaxer. I've always been a bit of a tight ass. Now I'm also a tight back. There was the Covid and flu shot done while there. I have not had any kind of reaction before, but yesterday I felt lousy. I did nothing but moan and groan. Today is much better.

The auger on the pellet stove started making a very loud noise. Neighbor Bill finally deduced the problem and is hoping to fix it. He is getting professional advice from Gatto, so all should be well.

Some may remember this china. It belonged to my friend and had been her grandmother's. She was taking it to Goodwill and I told her she should keep it, it was her grandmother's. She didn't have my sentimentality about such things and said no. I told her I would hang onto it incase she changed her mind, which she didn't. She died about five years ago, so she never will. I had posted it for free a couple of years ago, got a taker and set up a day and time. Packed it up. The person never showed up.

I decided a couple of days ago to unpack it and use it as everyday. Why not? The surface size is considerably smaller, which makes this serving look huge. It was not. Everything had become bigger. My grandma's silver cutlery is tiny compared to my mother's. Mark can eat a lot, which didn't matter until a few years ago. He has the heart attack belly now, so this should help. A lot of eating too much is a visual thing. If his plate is full, he is full.

Today is warm and sunny. I feel better. It's a good start.

 

Past and Present

In the spirit of patting myself on the back over things I could once, and some I still can do. Thirty years ago I laid this flooring myself, in three rooms and a hallway. We had pulled out the carpet and there was just the underlayment. I like parquet. I know it isn't a popular choice, but I liked it then and I like it now. 

It's another dreary day, but it is November and that is how November rolls. Yesterday I was in the hayloft, or hay mow as it is also known, helping Mark. There were three windows he needed to get to, which meant he needed to place and extend a forty-foot ladder to do that. Lots of grunts and groans happened. We did get it done. One mission accomplished.

More Simple Things

I think this sounds like it would be good so I thought I would share.

 

I had a full day of messy work. I decided to tackle the wood pellet stove myself. I took the revocable interior parts out and gave it a thorough cleaning. I pulled the rotator stirrer out, cleaned it up and slide it back in. When had everything was put back together I turned it on and it rotated. I put a small amount of pellets into the hopper, turned it on again and it worked for about five minutes then stopped. I figured out it needs a bushing, which I ordered. I received a notice it has been sent so hopefully I will have a working heat source soon.

 

                

No day is complete without a photo of a tired Gatto.

Bunny Cheeks

Gatto alerted me to this little guy outside the window. It was quite accommodating. There were several years with no bunnies, I don't know what happened, but I'm happy they are back.

Tabby comes in more now that it's getting cold. He has found his spot in the old rocker. It's a good place for some spa time and a nap. 

I drove yesterday for a third time in a couple of weeks. I picked up groceries at Aldi. I'm grateful to have one in the community as prices have continued to increase, at least I can buy groceries. It's easy for me to track because I do pick-up orders, which vary little, so I can look back at the prior orders.

The sun is shining, the coffee is hot. The simple pleasures of life. 

Taking Comfort

I looked out the window as evening was falling and I saw this. It's beautiful, even taken with a  phone camera through window glass. 

November and December, especially December, my favorite months of the year. The magnificent sky scapes, the early darkness and sitting in my snug with a fire and a book. Comfort food, oh my god, how I love comfort food. Don't we all? Then, of course, there is always a but. I don't actually mind plowing snow. I can't say I enjoy the deep freeze weather but I can dress for it. The tropical summers we've been having, going through life naked wouldn't help. The utilities bills, we won't talk about. This is supposed to be idyllic, after all.

Speaking of finding comfort in food. I finally made the rhubarb cake and it is delicious. A pound or two may end up on my waste line. 

 

Saturday

This is a grocery store about two miles east of us. It was built about a year ago. There is a lot of affluence in the West Metro. There's also farmers and small towns and the rest of us. I have not been there, I haven't been much of anywhere for a few years. 

I'd say this isn't the average coffee area in a grocery.

 

Today the SNAP (food stamps) benefits end. Minnesota will support it for as long as is possible, which can't be that long, I'm sure. 

We had matzo ball soup for lunch. 

A Different Day in the Kitchen.

The finished project.

This cabinet was always a disastrous mess. Baking sheets, pot lids, colander. Just a jumbled up mess. After over 30 years I thought maybe I should do something about it, so I bought these. I put them together and cleaned up the mess.

I then decided to reorganize the others that were in desperate need. Two were actually not in need.

It was simply a matter of pulling everything out and then putting it back with some sense of order. These last few years it seems I was relatively useless. I'm back or at least partially.

Today it's the cupboards. That rhubarb cake will need to wait. When one has intriguing assignments all else must wait.

 

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday

What consumed my entire Tuesday Afternoon.

 

Rainy Tuesday

It's raining this morning and supposedly through the day. We need it and I have no plans. I have baking plans and I couldn't ask for more appropriate weather for that. I think I'll make a rhubarb cake. When you are born and raised in a cold climate the biological instinct to start loading up calories as winter approaches still exists. This is why it's so common for weight gain during winter. I tell myself a little treat now and again doesn't hurt anyone. Justification? Maybe.

Neighbor Bill brought me some of the last of his peppers. I stopped growing peppers years ago when I started being supplied by Bill. They made a good, easy and colorful stir fry for our dinner. 

 

Boo

As we approach Halloween I felt it fitting to honor the Princess of Darkness.

Frieda of the Dark

 She is a most serious cat and she holds a grudge.

So, matters of no consequence. We took a carload of boxes and bags to Goodwill on Saturday. We picked up my monthly non-wine order at Total Wine and had lunch at Culver's. If you are going to have fast food, that's the food to have. It's actually good. And the frozen custard, don't get me started. The day spent out and about meant I missed at least half of your blogs. I hate to admit that I come home mentally exhausted after being out in the world, but I do. It's what happens when a person with a tendency toward lonerism becomes too isolated. I am working on modifying myself. Stay tuned. 

Hodgepodge

Not Gatto. Tabby; aka Crabby Tabby. It's colder outside so he is seeking the warmth of a comfortable chair. We had our first frost last night, so you could say the air is crisp. The horses do a happy dance when they are let out in the crunchy morning air. The old geezers still got it.

Other than another orange cat in the house and dancing elderly horses, not much happening on the old homestead. I continue whittling away at the disorder that's in my life. Small steps. Small steps lengthen the time of the journey, but the journey does eventually end. 

As some may remember, I rarely make a casserole. I know, I know.....I was born and raised in Minnesota, land of the 'hot dish', but the hot dish was not in my sphere. My mother never made one, other  than lasagna, which could be called a casserole. I know I won't be making the kind that I hear about, green bean, tator tot, but noodles or rice, vegetables and aromatics, protein if desired, in a cream sauce, well, it's hard to beat that. Add in the easy factor and all I can say is, what have I been thinking.

 Enjoy your Friday. Make a casserole.

Just Another Day

Thursday. Time is speeding by. The East Wing of the White House has been demolished. Federal workers are out of a job. Food assistance is stopping. Cost of living is rising. Argentina gets 20 billion (or more?) to prop up a strongman. Apparently the US will be buying cattle from Argentina (how's that working for you, ranchers). Kristi Noem gets a new jet. You get the picture. Are we great yet?

 

A Little Ginger Spice

Let us honor orange cats.  

Or so says Gatto.

Tabby wanted nothing to do with the honor if it included Gatto.

 Enjoy today. Be like Gatto.

We The People

 

Soups On

It's soup season.

So the time for bringing in the plants, putting away the outdoor furniture, getting the windows washed is upon us. I haven't had a fire yet because I have no wood. Oh, there are plenty of downed trees, just not cut up downed trees. The guy just keeps saying soon. I need to find a repair person for the wood pellet stove. A new auger motor was installed last year, it worked for a while but the auger stopped turning again. Hopefully I can find someone, it puts out a lot of heat.

That's the news from the old homestead.

On the Road Again

Autumn is upon us.

I took this photo as I was pulling into the driveway a couple of days ago. I have now driven a car four times since the end of 2020. I made two short, solo trips this week. I think I may be on the road again. For those who don't know, I started having serious, undiagnosed back pain in 2021, so bad it affected my mobility. I was treated more like a mental patient than a medical patient. I could not walk far, which meant I needed dropping off at the door. To the only place I was going, the medical clinic.

Isn't it sad how women, in general, and older women in particular, are treated this way. I spent three miserable years before changing clinics and actually receiving help. Part of it is our private equity owned medical system, but not all. This is an age-old problem. The more assertive and persistent a woman is the more she is deemed unsteady. 

Back to the positive. I still have pain and I won't be running any marathons anytime soon, but I am able to regain independence, which is wonderful.