Saved by the belle

The neighbors promised to give me their Xmas tree after the holidays instead of putting it out for the trash collector.  I didn't expect it until some time next week, but I guess the holidays are over for them, I found their tree in my driveway yesterday.  Wow.

It always made me sad to see their trees in the trash.  So, for the past couple of years, I've resurrected the poor things and made them into winter roost for birds visiting the feeder.

Tied to a sturdy stake, the birds and I get months of enjoyment out of these bonus evergreens. Then in spring I clip off all the branches to use as mulch and take the center trunk over to the township compost depot. Win-win all around. 

Now, if winter would just show up.  Snow would be white and pretty -- I'm really getting tired of RAIN RAIN RAIN.  (Over 5 inches so far this month. *glub*)

Happy New Year, all. :-D

I need a little comfort....

And right this very minute!   Brrr.  We've had a couple of days when it never got out of the 20s.  Time for some comfort food.

I'd frozen 4 bags of stock from the Thanksgiving turkey.  I grabbed one and added the usual suspects: carrots, potatoes, green beans, cabbage ribbons, corn, hot pepper rings, chunked turkey and some dried herbs.  While that was simmering away...

I baked a loaf of my no-brainer ciabatta.  Ahhh.  There's no fragrance like fresh yeast bread.

Put them together and oh how all the cold weather seems to melt away.  Mmmm-mmm.

Crabby squirrel

Bitter cold (12F) and heavy frost this morning.  These days I sip my morning coffee looking out the kitchen window.  Waaay too cold to enjoy the sunroom now.

I've been watching the new crabapple trees lately.  They held their russet leaves until just a couple of days ago.  While they do have some fruit, I've never seen anything eating it (unlike the older crabapples which attract a lot of attention).  Then this morning I saw this fox squirrel climb up and help himself to 2-3 apples, then it left.  Good to know that the fruit won't go unappreciated!

Meanwhile, as I looked through the camera out past the squirrel, I noticed that something ELSE has been appreciating my gardens - something I myself certainly DON'T appreciate!

Click on this sorry stem for the full story. 

Final sunface - the reveal

In 2001 I'd been laid off from my job as a system's analyst.  Wha?   Sure, I could have gotten another, but I just knew they would call me back.  There was no doubt in my mind. I knew that the guy they chose to keep wouldn't be able to do the job, satisfy the business customers or program his way out of a paper bag.  So that Spring I took those couple of months while waiting for the phone to ring to create a large, multi surface patio off the back deck of my previous house.

I flanked the patio with 2 cement pads, east side and west.

On the east pad I carved a sunface (the west had a moonface).

I show the sunface here because, when I initially started my posts about the sunroom, it was going to be a 5-post series.  But I added a post had to go hunting for a 6th face to entice you over to those entries.  And here it is.

Click on the sun pic and check out the big REVEAL.

(Oh, and yes.  They DID call me back.  Apparantly the business clients were all up in arms... ;-D) 

Sunroom - part 5

The sunroom project nears completion.  Click the pic.

Sunroom - part 4

It's been dark and pouring down rain for the past couple of days (1.5" so far).  Thankfully I've got all these smiling sunfaces to brighten things up.

Click on the pic for sunroom project progress.

Sunroom - part 3

There's more sunroom story.  Click the pic.

Sunroom - part 2

Here's another sun.

If you click on it, you'll find another update on the sunroom project.

:-D

It's up!

Happy happy, joy joy.

I'm jumping up and down for this pretty (and protective) pinstripe addition to the sanctuary!


Click pic for details. :-D

High and dry

Why so many sunfaces?

And why are they smiling?

Click on this one to read the story.