"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands........" 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Thursday, December 26, 2019

The past few mornings,

just before the sun completely shows itself,
the sky has been in the most beautiful color ever! 
It is always different, every day.........and it's 
beauty is more stunning as each day arrives

The weather and temps have been pleasant, dry, 
and warm.  Christmas day was close to 70
I have not yet had to use my greenhouse heater and 
the little tomato plant that I moved inside in  early fall

is still producing tomatoes.

I have had this potted flower, going on 4 years now. 


It blooms constantly and brightens up the greenhouse.
Once in a while, it seems to die down........but within
just a few weeks, it's green and back to blooming.

These are flowers that I dug up and moved to the safety of 
the greenhouse in early fall.  They still have not bloomed, 
but remain sturdy thick and green. Anyone know
what they might be?

Sophie stayed outside with me as I removed all of the
Christmas decorations.  I never like to leave Christmas things 
up  after Christmas.  I like it all packed away before the new 
year comes.

Taboo is enjoying his new bed.  He has been stealing Sophie's 
bed and taking long leisurely naps.........much to 
Sophie's dislike.  So now, he is content and feels special.
I hope this finds that you all had a happy Christmas day with
friends and family, and that you are filled with goals and hopes 
for the new year to come!

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Wishing you a very merry Christmas!

And, so, Christmas comes to bless us!
Comes to teach us how to find
The joy of giving happiness
And the joy of being kind.
Gertrude Tooley Buckingham,
 "There Will Always Be a Christmas" (1940s)

Merry Christmas dear friends!  Stop by my cooking blog for
a wonderful rich Christmas cake recipe!


Tuesday, December 10, 2019

When a chicken coop is not being used any longer.............

Most of you already know that I have a small group of little chickens

and for the first couple of years, they have used this little coop .
But recently, I had the large kennel pen that was over this coop, moved and 
attached to a larger hen house.  Now my chickens have a nice roomy
coop/hen house and a safe yard to wander around in. 
I did not want this coop to be tossed away.........

so I moved it to my corner garden to use as 
a decorative feature for my cement and yard decor
chickens

I placed a colorful resin/plastic rooster on the inside of the coop

along with a pretty black resin/plastic hen sitting on a nest

the empty nests have fake ceramic eggs

underneath  in the pen area, I have a vintage ceramic rooster
and a cement hen with her chicks

I also put in my handmade cement hen and rooster set

Standing proud on the outside roof is a plastic rooster.

Now my garden has chickens in it......ones that wont scratch up or 
eat away the plants!  I plan to decorate the coop more with flowers in 
the spring time.
I am sure in time, this coop will get weathered and wear down from
the outside elements.......but for now, it has 
another life.  
So tell me...........do you like yard art?
Do you like chicken yard art are some other kind of decor?
I would  love to hear! 


Saturday, November 30, 2019

Taboo sits in front of the large, dining room window.....

something has caught his attention...........

let's see.........what kind of bird is this?

It is a good sized hawk, enjoying the water 

and having the best time, splashing around...........

but wait...........what is that sound??
a tiny woodpecker is tap tap tapping
on the tree in front of the window


it is almost too much for Taboo to have to  be stuck inside....
only to be able to watch.  Just when he thought
this fun was over


up comes a hungry buck to enjoy some of the feed 
that the birds have not yet discovered.


All of this excitement can wear one small black cat out.
Now Taboo sleeps.........flicking his tail and paw
now and then......dreaming of what is in front of the window.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Wishing you a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Dear Lord; we beg but one boon more:
Peace in the hearts of all men living,
peace in the whole world this Thanksgiving.
Joseph Auslander

Friday, November 8, 2019

The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play.............

So we sat in the house. All that cold, cold, wet day.”
Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Do you ever feel that the world is whirling around so fast

and causing you to get tired of the ride and you  want to just 
hop off........preferring to take a slow walk........
away from all of the "hurriedness" of it all?
(This photo ( by French photographer Willy Ronis)  reminds of how friends used to
get together........)

With all of the social media that we all try to keep 
up with .........and with all of the technical do dads that
we all need to keep up with the "hurriedness" .......
it is amazing that we can juggle it all.
For me, I don't juggle as much as others.........
but I have noticed.............
with social media............friends don't call 
or email...........they just want a quick chat and 
nothing that touches the heart between friends is ever talked about. 
It is so easy to just type" hello" " I will pray for you"
instead of actually learning about the issue at hand and taking time to care about what is going on.
It sometimes gets to where a person is just a counted number as a 
social media friend .........
instead of being considered a  
friend to catch up with over a cup of coffee. 
The "hurriedness "of life seems to have taken the 
coffee out of friendship. 
I love updated things in this world,
my washing machine, my vacuum, electricity,
and let's not forget........indoor plumbing,....and I do love
some aspects of social media.........
but I think I do  not want to 
 be just  a "social media, head count" friend.
You can find me , however, waiting
with a hot cup of coffee and a listening heart! 



Tuesday, October 15, 2019

A time of busy work.........and then, a time for slowing down..........

..the past few days have been full of work for my husband and I. As you know, I have a small group of tiny chickens..........which I adore. However, when winter starts up.........it is quite an ordeal to move them back and forth from their enclosed kennel and into the big hen house so that they will stay warm on freezing nights.
 Because I can't let them run out in the chicken yard without cover, a hawk can get them and they can get out of the chicken yard fence...........winter comes, and I move them all into the big hen house.......
trying to keep them in and trying  to keep that heavy hen house  door closed without them getting out on me,..........it is a struggle. 
  So one early morning, it was "chicken coop day". My husband and I started to work........stopping only for me to make some lunch, then back out to work...........we finally finished just ......before 5 pm.  We were exhausted.  We took off one panel of the kennel and it slipped perfectly over the hen house.  Then we had to put on the new tarp and cover it all with chicken wire to keep hawks and predators out.
  Now I don't have to chase chickens or usher them into a carrier and haul them into the hen house. They can enjoy their day and go to roost by themselves.

The next day,  I spent re potting plants and large cactus in my collections........and then transporting them all to the greenhouse. I am not as fearless as Ruth Bancroft ( a cactus garden designer I admire). She planted her various collections in the ground to see what would survive through the year........I want to keep  my unique collection a while in the greenhouse.  I did all of this just in time to protect them from the cold front that headed our way that afternoon.  It got down to 35 degrees  the next morning........but then warmed up to the 80s the rest of the week. This is so typical of Texas.  We have a lot of ups and downs before the snow flies.
I dug up some of my rose moss and it is doing so well and is so pretty to see 
in the greenhouse

I also have potted zinnia blooming


As well as my soap aloe.

And my tomato plant is blooming and has small green tomatoes
on it!  It was so worth the effort to move everything!

The next day, my husband trimmed all of the dead limbs from the
mesquite trees that grow around the yard and driveway.
After he cut it all into nice size pieces, we both loaded it and 
stacked it for use in the fireplaces when the weather gets cold
With all of the cooler days and balmy weather, many 
of the outside plants are blooming beautifully.
The rose moss, as I earlier mentioned is so thick at this time.

The wild Prairie Aster that starts in spring, lasts all 
the way through October. 

The 4 o'clock always has sweet smelling blossoms.

The morning glory always blooms better at this time of year.

I love the way the morning glory looks even when it has closed for the day!

The moon flower.....(Jimson weed)
has a sweet scent and so lovely!

my wonderful, sturdy Lantana is also in full bloom.

Which is wonderful because at this time, the Monarch 
butterflies have migrated to our grounds for just a few days.
These flowers will help nourish them and help them along their
way to Mexico. 

There will always be some kind of work to do here........
whether it is autumn or any other season.........
but for now.......
we take an enjoyment from the work of 
the wood gathering and 
sit out and enjoy a late afternoon fire as the 
day goes to slumber.
How about you?
Any snow yet?  What is hanging on in your back yard?
I would love to hear!


Monday, September 23, 2019

Autumn,

 gorgeous in yellow and red,
Is the harvest time, when man is led
To garner the fruits of sweat and toil
From dear Mother Earth, the deep rich soil...
Gertrude Tooley Buckingham, "The Four Seasons" (1940s)

Sunday, September 15, 2019

It is getting dark a little earlier,

and the nights and early mornings have a welcomed chill to them.
A balmy and cooler breeze blows.

The cheery little wildflowers that dotted the landscape have dried and lost their color, 
the wild grasses and other flowers are dry and brittle.

Everything is tired, weary, and ready for the ending days of summer.

Some of the flowers in my gardens are feeling much better with the cooler days
and are still blooming.  The morning glory seems to 
do so much better when fall time arrives. 

The tolerant Mexican petunia is still green and vibrant and still blooming
it's lovely purple blossoms. 

I am already in the mood for "everything pumpkin" 
I have pulled some of my favorite fall food recipes and getting ready for my kitchen to fill with the aroma of pumpkin, cinnamon, and ginger.
How about you??  Are you ready for summer's end?
Are you already gathering fall decorations to display?
I would love to hear!