Posted on 11/01/2025 5:46:00 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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I do plan to mow the stragglers, and I appreciate your affirmation. Recently I bought a new, heavier mower that I have to guide (not a riding mower), so I need to get at least part of the leaf fall under control so I won’t slip on the sloping parts of the yard or have acorns underfoot. The squirrels seem to have unloaded a jackpot in one area, poor things. Some years I would have taken the time to peck and pick up their acorn haul and put them back in the woods where they could rebury them, but not this year. I hate that this is running into Christmas prep time, but it is what it is, every year a little worse. Looking forward with relish to getting those oak branches whacked so maybe next year will be better!
Congratulations, FamiliarFace! What a blessing!!
One of my cousins lives in a suburb in N. Carolina where they can still burn piles of leaves at the curb. Wow, the lovely aroma! Reminds me of my childhood in the 50s, where we were still permitted to do that in the Baltimore-Washington suburb areas.
Not any more!
Thank you, AW, we are greatly blessed! A Thanksgiving to remember, for sure!
What wonderful news. What a Thanksgiving!! You will never forget this one.
How much snow did you finally get? Got 7-8 inches here. It is so beautiful. So glad I made it out to the store and church late yesterday. Got home after church a little after 6 it was getting started then and a bit icy. Now I look out and think - I don’t really need to go anywhere until Saturday. Going to go out and try plowing myself about 2. Have had two offers of help but I want to try first.
Thank you! But it is a total Group Effort - we have fun, knowledgeable FReepers (like you!) on this thread and more joining every month. Green Eyes (Linda) started it ages ago and I’m just carrying on in her stead.
Make America Garden Again! (MAGA!)
I can’t remember a winter season when I was SO EXCITED to plan for next year! I am re-vamping everything in the garden as far as what I plant and where and am going to be MUCH more efficient and smart about how much WORK I always put into it - on the FRONT end AND the BACK end.
I need to stop growing enough food to feed an Army - there ARE only two of us now - and all the canning overkill is starting to be more work and less pleasure than it once was. I want the PLEASURE back in all of my gardening tasks. And more Herbs and Flowers, Please; Food for the Soul.
I’ll have lots of ideas and hacks and hints and tips to add for a Zone 5a food & flower garden - though many will apply to anyone that still wants a great garden without as much work. :)
I’ve been out shoveling - got the porch stairs done and a path out to the bird feeders and the compost bin and a spot for Dolly to pee, LOL! (Most important!) To ME it looks like 6”. Beau says 8” but I think that’s a stretch. We might get another inch this morning, but the sky is breaking up and the sun is out and there’s nothing on the radar, so I’m hoping NOT!
Going to get the 7 landings done so the SUN can melt it off nicely for me and I won’t need to sand or salt. (Faces South; works like a charm!)
Beau is plowing in Madison, but only has 13 driveways to do, and maybe a church, so he should be home mid-afternoon if Jimmy doesn’t talk him into lunch out - which is kind of their ‘tradition’ when Beau helps him with his snowplowing business.
My chores are just to give Stew his grain and an apple and more hay if he needs it. We have one hunting dog (Osage) that is 9 years old and kind of on the backside of life (10 years is usually what you get out of a hard-working hunting dog) so he needs some meds and extra water. And I’ll give the chickens some treats this morning, too. And check the rat trap. *SHUDDER*
Wind is supposed to pick up this afternoon for a number of hours; just enough to un-do all my shoveling, as normal - and then we’re going into the teens for a good week or so.
Luckily, that never lasts. Supposedly Christmas will be WHITE but not sub-zero, though there HAVE been years, as you know - living even further North than me!
Back out to shovel some more, then some breakfast. I’ll make that Turkey & Wild Rice Soup today, too. :)
Thank you. We are so thankful for this little one’s arrival!
While that IS impressive, I DO know where the Piggly Wiggly is, LOL!
Some years in the past have been that bountiful. :)
Our hard pioneers!
Oops — that should have read “hardy” pioneers...
Well, SOMEONE had to populate the Prairie, LOL!
A dusting of snow this morning & an icy windshield - damp, raw cold, very cloudy day. Dark clouds were hanging on a couple of mountain tops for a very dramatic look.
Today was the last of the ‘feasting’ with a “light” potluck after church. I made a Jiffy corn pudding & took 17 maple pecan bars left over from Thanksgiving. There were 2 spoonfuls of corn pudding left & 2 maple pecan bars so they have been added to my list of church potluck dishes that are successful & I will make again.
Yesterday, there were two items of note on the menu. My niece’s husband smoked the turkey & it was really good. I saw small smoked turkeys at Walmart for $49 so it’s definitely worthwhile to smoke your own. My brother & the two hubbys of my nieces all smoke meat so they were exchanging tips & info which made for interesting conversation.
The next delicious item was ham biscuits & they were not just any ordinary ham biscuits. My niece’s hubby had salt cured a ham & my niece made sourdough rolls. The ham took a long time to cure & was a good bit of work, but the result was a special treat for us all.
Last week cooking, the big dinner Thusday, cooking again Friday for Saturday’s meal, the traveling Saturday, & the last casserole made this morning for today’s potluck have seriously worn me out. Despite trying not to overeat, I feel rather stuffed & totally ‘sugared’ out - couldn’t even look at dessert today & those last 2 maple pecan bars will go in the freezer for treats a couple of weeks down the road.
The Christmas presents for the kids were given to their parents Saturday so my dealing with that aspect of the holidays is mostly done. It used to be, back in the stone ages when I was a kid, that Christmas decorations, store displays, & music (which you hardly hear any more) did not make an appearance until the day after Thanksgiving. Now, I was seeing Christmas items before Halloween ... grump grump. :-( As more & more commercialization floods the culture, I find myself longing for simpler days & a focus on the reason for the season - holy days vs. holidays.
After the potluck today, we took takeout containers to my elderly cousin. While we were there, the Pastor, her husband & another church member (all with very good voices) came by and sang her a couple of Christmas carols - very sweet & thoughtful. Life in the country is proving to be a wealth of “riches” that have nothing to do with money.
We got close to a foot of snow.
Shoveled and plowed again today (Sunday).
Now we are in for cold temps this week.
Fun.
Well, at least we can plan for spring and what we will all grow in our gardens.
🌷🌷🌷
Love this pic and shared it. This could be my grandmother. She did all her canning outside and fed a family of 9 kids. In younger years I would easily do a third of this, and I sometimes used half gallon jars. But if you are only feeding two less is needed. I also just watched this seen on TS. Very good especially for hunters and homesteaders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpUIaQylEhk&t=3095s
“As more & more commercialization floods the culture, I find myself longing for simpler days & a focus on the reason for the season - holy days vs. holidays.”
“Life in the country is proving to be a wealth of ‘riches’ that have nothing to do with money.”
Amen and amen, Sister!
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