Not Much

We are 31 degrees F warmer this morning than we were yesterday morning. Downright balmy! I finally got the wood pellet stove working yesterday. Gatto is quite pleased. It has not consistently worked since he has been in residence. It does a lot to warm the openness of the space. One thing that made a difference is the pellets. I've always used softwood because it burns hotter. The auger kept jamming after the initial fix, which can be a problem with softwood, I learned. My dear man went to Fleet Farm, not a quick drive, to buy one bag of hardwood pellets. I didn't want to buy a pallet and find it wasn't the problem. So far, it's not jamming.

I did get around to making rhubarb bread yesterday, although this recipe is more cake-like. Regardless, it's good. One for now, one for the freezer. 

brrrrr

Another snowscape from the farm. We're currently 10 F/-12.2 C, dropping to -10 F/ -23.4 C. Hello winter! I hope the ICE Agents zooming in on Minneapolis are all from the hot climate states. Please let it be so. 

I made turkey stock a few days ago and turned nearly all the rest of the turkey into soup with my stock. I have lunch for two more days. Yippee!! I don't like coming up with lunch everyday. Bah.

See how it is around here? We are here to serve, make no mistake. They get very cranky if they are moved from the chairs. We can eat on the floor. People say cats are easier than dogs. I beg to differ. My dogs stayed off the chairs and were grateful for every little thing they got from me. A pat on the head, a big wag of the tail and a doggy smile. Cats, well..... 

I think I may warm up the kitchen with a little baking. I have a LOT of rhubarb in the freezer so maybe some rhubarb bread. It's been like forever since I made popovers so we'll see if that happens, too.

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!