Turkey Talk

I came across this Johnson Brothers Barnyard King plate at one of the local antique shops several years 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.

Wind

We have a wind advisory out today, blustery and menacing.

Birds were literally flying sideways.

 

 

 

Oliver cat and Tom -Tilly have spent hours chasing swirling leaves, now they are snuggled in their beds, wore out from the day's fun.

 

 

 

My granddaughter came bearing gifts.

Sweet little wool Christmas ornaments, guess who they resemble.....

I couldn't be more tickled.

Soup's On

A dark and dreary day.
Rain is falling.
The perfect time to warm up with a hearty bowl of homemade soup.

Cabbage and Bean Soup

Navy or Northern Beans
Cabbage
Onions
Carrots
Celery
Ham Hock
Smoked sausage or Kielbasa sliced
Chicken Stock
28oz can of whole tomatoes
Bay Leaf
Salt and Pepper
Basil and thyme to taste.

Soak beans overnight, discard water, add chicken stock, ham hock, smoked sausage, herbs, and seasoning, bring to the boil and then simmer for one hour.

Add chopped cabbage, onions, carrots, celery, chopped tomatoes,  continue to simmer for an additional hour and a half.
Add water if needed.

Serve with buttermilk cornbread, or a nice crusty French loaf.

Yum

Lest We Forget

They fell, but o'er their glorious grave

Floats free the banner of the cause they died to save.

~Francis Marion Crawford

 

God Bless  all the service men and women, without whose unselfish commitment, our lives would be forever changed.

 

Oliver Love

Eight years ago, on a cold November day,  this handsome, ginger boy stopped by our house and said hello.

I gave him a handful of treats, and then he disappeared as mysteriously as he came.

He returned the following spring, and despite my best effort to try and find his family he decided to call our humble abode, home.

We couldn't be more blessed.

 

 

Holding On

The trees were just beginning their Autumn show, a little over a month ago.

And when we were finally receiving some much needed rain, we had our first freeze of the season.

Everything seemed to stop.

 

 

Yesterday, we awoke to an incredible sunrise, it cast an orange hue across the landscape. The difference a month makes, between changing landscapes.
 The grass has now gone to bed until Spring.
Leaf-raking begins.

 

 

 

We still have color on the trees, and more to come, from the late-comers of the woods.

 

 


There's talk of an upcoming power outage on social media.
In reality, this is a regular drill used by the Army Military Auxiliary Radio System also known as MARS to test what would happen if there ever were a large scale power or communications outage.

A statement released by the defense department says:
“The exercise will simulate a power outage scenario, it will not impact public or private communications. There will be no power outages of communication systems. This exercise is designed to improve readiness, build cooperation and public awareness, and better prepared to defend the nation.”

In the event, things do not go as planned. I'll see you on the other side.

The best of luck to us all.