A Bewitching Night

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,—
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

Macbeth ~ William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

For The Love Of A Cat

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains un-awakened"

~Anatole France

Garden Chores

I've spent the last few days enjoying the unseasonably warm weather.
81 degrees on the outside thermometer, perfect for finishing those late Autumn garden chores.
Flower pots and gardening tools have been stacked away in the potting shed, seeds have been gathered from the fading blooms, and perennials mulched to protect against the winter freezes.

"Spring flowers are long since gone.
Summer's bloom hangs limp on every terrace.
The gardener's feet drag a bit on the dusty path and the hinge in his back is full of creaks."-

~Louise Seymour Jones

Turkey Talk

I happened upon this Johnson Brothers Barnyard King plate at one of the local antique shops several months ago.
One plate all by itself, I could only imagine what an entire dinner service would have looked like.

I'm going to display it for the Thanksgiving season, the colors on this picture do not do the piece justice, they are all hand engraved and made in England.

Barnyard King, what could be a more fitting name.

Dulce Domum "Sweet Home"

The weather has turned chilly, and wet, a typical Autumn day.
I seem to be in the midst of a hibernation, only roused on the days I need to meet outside obligations.
What is it about the changing seasons, that leave us wanting nothing more than a cozy place to nest.
A place in front of the hearth, surrounded by the tea kettle singing on the hob, slippers warming by the fireside, and a portly cat purring at our side.
A time to daydream.

"What a ripping little house this is! Everything so handy! "

~Mole's house: Wind in the Willows

Autumn Splendor

We've been experiencing beautiful Autumn weather these past few days, highs in the 80's with low-humidity, it makes for perfect outside chore-doing, or just plain rambling-about weather.

All around town people are decorating with Fall colors, pumpkins, gourds, and pots of colorful chrysanthemums, and down on Main Street Oktoberfest is being celebrated.
It's such a pleasant time of the year ~

"I am rich today with autumn's gold,
All that my covetous hands can hold;
Frost-painted leaves and goldenrod,
A goldfinch on a milkweed pod,
Huge golden pumpkins in the field
With heaps of corn from a bounteous yield,
Golden apples heavy on the trees
Rivaling those of Hesperides,
Golden rays of balmy sunshine spread
Over all like butter on warm bread;
And the harvest moon will this night unfold
The streams running full of molten gold.
Oh, who could find a dearth of bliss
With autumn glory such as this!"

~ Gladys Harp

Tying The Knot

Donning my pearls for a special occasion.


This weekend The First Sergeant and myself are guests at a dear friend's daughter's wedding.
Is there anything sweeter than a simple, country style wedding, surrounded by all things good in life, friendship, food and fellowship.....

Simple yet elegant, the wedding theme is the perfect combination of Southern charm and romance.

Our congratulations to the gorgeous bride and handsome groom, we wish you a lifetime of happiness together.

"Come, let's be a comfortable couple and take care of each other! How glad we shall be, that we have somebody we are fond of always, to talk to and sit with. "

~Charles Dickens

Daily Ritual

Time to change the teapot from the Summer Pansies back to the Blue Willow design.
I confess to being a tea addict, it's the first thing that passes my lips in a morning and the last thing at night, even going so far as taking a cuppa to bed with me.

I got the addiction honestly, and put it down to all those times we English children were offered milky tea in our bottles as we were growing up.
Yes, they start us at an early age.

Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company.

~Author Unknown

Following The Road Less Traveled

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

~ Robert Frost (1874–1963). Mountain Interval. 1920.

Woolly Socks And Flip-Flops

We've been gifted with glorious Autumn weather these past two weeks, warm balmy days, and cool window-opening nights.
It's the time of year, when you step outside in the morning wearing your woolly socks and warm jacket, and by late afternoon, you've returned to your flip-flops and short-sleeved shirt.

Even the house takes on a different hue of color, orange, offering a warm and inviting glow to nestle inside by candlelight for the evening,

So are the days of changing seasons ..............

Gossamer Threads

"The milkweed pods are breaking,
And the bits of silken down
Float off upon the autumn breeze
Across the meadows brown."

~ Cecil Cavendish, The Milkweed

Autumn's First Frost

"The hazy, cloudless skies of Indian Summer.
Leaves scurrying down the street before the wind.
The cold shiver from an arctic blast.
Indian Summer. The last warmth of the sun.
Chilly mornings and glorious warm afternoons.
The Harvest Moon. The Hunter's Moon. The Rainy Season.
Dry corn stalks clattering in the wind.
The touch of frost on grass and window pane.
The smell of burning leaves."

~ Keith C. Heidorn

Silence

The old wooden garden bench, half-crumbling away, sits silenty; with only a blanket of lichen as it's companion.