The howling wind

blew all day yesterday, making the sky orange with the dust from the cotton fields. I listened to it roar and beat up against the house as I stitched last night. This morning, I headed off to work...........the air was chilly,

but all was quiet and clear. This afternoon, I stepped outside from work and the hectic day melted away as the pleasant afternoon wrapped itself around me. I got home and took a walk out to visit the flowers that are now blooming this time of year.These visits to the grounds make me forget about the old grumpy man who never likes the way I make his hashbrowns, even though his plate looks as if he has licked it clean upon leaving.........or the grumbling customer...........complaining that the cafe's bacon is not thick enough.........sigh........

It all melts away in the warmth of the afternoon sunshine......

The mums are cascading over their wooden crate and are so cheery in the sunshine.

The marigold garden is showing off it's vibrant fall colors. It is almost November, yet, today the temperature is 86 degrees and flowers are all over the grounds here at Pleasant Prairie.............. one could never tell that winter is almost here. I walk alone in silence and take it all in...............however, I realize, I am not alone.............

among the thick leaves and beautiful blossoms, many insects are making themselves comfortable...........and taking advantage of the sunny and pleasant weather.



even the wasp, who are usually sluggish and crawling on the ground this time of year, are enjoying what the flowers have to offer.

Butterflies of every kind are flitting in and out of the gardens,

and I should be upset for all of the creatures enjoying a bite or two..............but how can I resist such curious creatures??................ I know it won't be long and all of this as well as they...........will be gone for winter's deep sleep.

Looks like someone is already enjoying a good nap.

Even the wildflowers here on the prairie are not ready to go away. They bloom and grow among the dry grass and dirt.

I visited a local farmers market this weekend, and fell in love with one of the vendor's pumpkin wagons. She had pumpkins of every size and shape. I bought a few and hope to save the seed for next year's planting.

This is a gourd of some kind, I could not resist taking it home. It looks almost like a granny smith apple, however, it is fairly large.

This pumpkin has the most unusual color and shape.My husband said it looks like a gigantic tick...............sigh..........just goes to show that not everyone has the same idea of beauty................. so I tucked it into my arms and brought it home.

Now........................how about you??

Are you still having sunny days and pretty weather.............where ever you are?

Are your gardens or yard filled with creatures great and small?

What kind of pumpkins are you decorating with this fall?

I would love to hear!

I did not want to throw away

a favorite "comfortable" sweatshirt. One that I have had for years and has gotten dingy and worn.............but it is so warm on chilly mornings.

Instead...........I got out my scissors,..............my stash of silk ribbon and beads............and my imagination............and now I have a new sweatshirt! Come to my embroidery blog and I will show you how to do one for yourself! Just click on to this link......

http://yesteryearembroideries.blogspot.com

National Bosses Day was yesterday and I just had to do something for the two sweet bosses I have.............they have been married for 41 years and have turned an old building in a small dusty old town............into a thriving little cafe............... and have trusted me to be their cook.............how lucky can one be..........may I ask? Because we all are around this "diner food" every day................we get tired quickly of it.
So I made a homemade chicken pot pie............something comforting from the oven, instead of a greasy grill. I also got a little creative and used the remaining pie dough for decoration.

It came out so pretty and so delicious. My bosses and co-workers were thrilled to sit down to a bubbling plate of this after a long week of work. A great way to tell the bosses they are appreciated and a great way to end the work week. The recipe is below for you to enjoy. If you want to decorate the top, just use cookie cutters or your own imagination!
Enjoy!

Country Chicken Pot Pie

FILLING

1 package chicken breasts, skin removed

1 can chicken broth

1 tbs. salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

Fresh vegetables that have been cooked and drained.........as follows:

2 large potatoes, peeled and diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, peeled and chopped

1 onion chopped in large pieces

1 cup of canned corn, drained

Place all vegetables in sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to boil and cook until tender. Drain from water.

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup half and half

Pie Crust

2/3 vegetable shortening

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

5 tbs. warm water

Blend shortening , flour, and salt with pastry blender or fork until mixture is crumbly.Mix with warm water and work until soft ball of dough forms. Split dough into two balls. Roll out one ball and place into pie dish........reserve the other ball for top crust.

Place chicken in a heavy medium sauce pan, add water to just cover and stir in salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until chicken is very tender. Remove chicken from broth, let cool. Remove chicken from bones and cut up into bite size pieces. Measure out and reserve 4 cups of broth; reserve any remaining broth for later us

Mix chicken and vegetables together.

In a small bowl, mix half and half with flour, stirring into a smooth mixture. Bring broth to boil and whisk the flour mixture into the broth, whisking until it becomes thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and pour over chicken and vegetables, mixing together.

Pour this into unbaked pie shell. Cover with pie crust top. Decorate if you wish, with remaining pie dough by shaping with cookie cutters. Bake at 350.F for 1 hour until top is gold brown.

Enjoy!

When life hands you...........................

sunflowers..............................

make bouquets!!! {:

Here I am........ standing in the middle of the farm's acreage..............in every direction I turn, this is what I see....................sunflowers..............some way over my head.

So I have taken advantage of nature's lovely gift and have decorated my porches with sunflowers, I have vases of sunflowers in the house and I took a big bouquet to my boss...............she was delighted.
How about you?
What flowers are you blessed with during this time?
I would love to hear!

Nature has always made me smile............

this stinky little guy seemed to know I had my camera and stopped and did this pose for me.......................I just had to have some fun with it!

Today, I am baking dirt.................

no............my cooking job has not sent me over the edge..................I am baking potting soil that has been sitting in the past summer's containers, that is.

This is the time of year that I start preparations to get my greenhouse in order and all of the plants moved into the greenhouse before the cold weather sits in. Instead of throwing pots of used potting soil out, I reuse it in the next year's spring planting. It saves me a lot of $$$ and it is great to add my compost to. I empty all of the unused containers and crumble them up into a large baking pan. I then bake the soil at 350.F for about an hour.(This is an important thing to do)......... This gets rid of pests that may be hiding in the soil and it also destroys any un-sprouted seeds, insuring that the soil will be pure for the next spring planting.


I buy large bags of bird seed from a local farm store and the bags that this seed comes in are made of plastic. These bags are wonderful to store my "purified potting soil " into. I seal the bag well and this keeps the soil fresh and dry.



Sigh..................this is how my poor neglected greenhouse looks. The main reason.............I do not use it during the hot west Texas summer season, because it is one big plastic oven during that time. Nothing can survive in it during this period. And my "new job" has also kept me from the constant care that I use to labor on it. However, the fresh cool weather we have been getting has revived me and I make the most of my time off........working with the greenhouse and my plants. This weekend, I have cleaned out the greenhouse and cleaned the shelves, and I have gotten the space heater out and ready. All I need to do now, is to move the plants in and cover the greenhouse in plastic sheeting to seal off the soon to be coming cold weather.

I also cleaned out the empty planting containers. This is also important to do so that when planting time arrives next spring, clean ,pure pots will be ready.

If you plan to move your plants inside or if you have a greenhouse to move them into, take time to clean the outside of each plant pot and spray with a pesticide to remove any harmful insects that may be hiding within the leaves of the plants. This insures a healthy, clean, pest free, environment for all of your plants and plant area.

How about you?

Have you already begun to start taking your plants in for the cooler weather? What are some of the things you do to prepare for the cold winter ahead?

I would love to hear.