Happy Halloween! It's Only Going to Go Faster!

First up, babies are growing and thriving! Look at my little guy, high up in that tree! He's pretty good at navigating and getting around the large trees. We hold our breath when they get too high, though. Very nerve wracking! He is plush and feels like velvet. I constantly pick him up! He smells wonderful, and, I swear, he has nearly-human eyes.

Baby Higgins has a super mischievous face at times, especially when she cuts her eyes at something to get a closer look (bugs, odd leaves, who knows what else), but this little girl is SO sweet. She loves people, and when she comes to you, she's so ecstatic that her whole body wriggles. It's precious. She's my husband's baby, but she shows everyone love.

Then there's my baby Trudy. Full disclosure: she has been the sickliest and tiniest of the three and, because of that, if I'm honest, she's the one I panic over the most and tend to baby a bit too much. We are finally on a path of filling out and holding our own among the clowder. When I look at her, she represents everything there is about rescue work. Look at her in those leaves! Be still my heart.

Also. Just WOW. Here we are at the end October. Now, Halloween is my jam. Absolutely love this fun holiday. It represents SO much for me - good food, silly fun, the beginning of the holiday season - you get the picture. But, let's face it: part of the fun is the anticipation. Now that it's here, I have all these mixed emotions about how things are going way too fast. It's okay, though. I'll soothe those emotions with pumpkin spice coffee and some sort of autumn inspired food (or Halloween candy, if I'm REALLY being honest). Today is also the last day of my October Blue Sky. I have loved every moment of it, and I'm grateful that I am treated to this brilliant show from nature every tenth month of the year. 

From this point forward, I think we all know that the year is just going to accelerate. No stopping it. My flowers are very nearly done (stood out on the porch the other morning and almost cried over them, that's the hard part of the garden, when you realize that it's truly finished). I reminded myself that in just three months, I'll be ordering my seeds again and re-planning and re-thinking some of the design phase of this past year's gardens. 

The coming months also promise a combo of Covid and flu season, so we've all got that going for us! I refuse to worry. I work to help pay the bills and take care of babies. So I'll gladly put on my mask, go to work and do what needs doing. I mean, my word. If the world survived WWI and WWII not even 30 years apart, then this whole pandemic thing should be do-able. Just be sure to wear your mask, wash your hands and use your brain when it comes to places you should or should not go!

The Halloween menu is sausage biscuits (vegan sausage for us vegetarians), homemade baked beans, potato chips and french onion dip, cheese and pickle tray, a bag of roasting marshmallows, and whatever dessert my parents come up with! We'll be around a pitfire, hopefully, waiting for the full moon to appear. Right now, the weather looks perfect! The high is 61 with sun! That means a clear sky will bring a quick drop in temperatures when the sun starts to go down. No clouds also means a perfect view of that full moon we're supposed to have!

From one Autumn season to the next, I sometimes forget that when you live in an old house with old, huge trees, a billion leaves descend upon you. So, my porch, gutters, etc., are trainwrecks at the moment and need cleaned up. I'll tackle the porch at some point this weekend, but I have to say, I'll leave the gutters for others to deal with; that is NOT my thing. 

On Sunday, I'll transition the house to Thanksgiving, which is going to feel so strange. I feel like I only recently talked about the zinnias finally blooming and that first Cherokee heirloom tomato from the garden. I do not start Christmas in early November. I start Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. For me, starting Christmas too soon only makes it lose its value in the celebration of something sacred. It's no longer special, just bleeds into the daily mundane. Christmas needs to stand out a bit more for me, not in a gaudy way, but in a time-sensitive way, where there is more of a holiness to the celebration of the birth of Christ, rather than a commercialized, canned sense of overkill. So we won't be jingling any bells any time soon!

I plan to thoroughly enjoy today with the teeny-tiny group that makes up our bubble (a grand total of six of us, who will social distance properly as we get together), and I hope that you find a way to enjoy today, too. A special treat or goody from the store? A favorite, silly Halloween movie? Or maybe just some nice music and a really good cup of coffee or other favorite beverage. Remember, if the sky is clear, look up today for your last fix of that October Blue Sky and then peek out again tonight for our full moon. I guess Mother Nature is offering up treats this Halloween.

Happy Halloween to you! May it be all treats, no tricks, and may the best ever Halloween goody find its way to your plate!

October Blue Sky

It's that time of year when the sky is at its bluest blue in these parts. I've been to a lot of places, and I can honestly say that there is not a blue sky to match or outdo the October sky that we get in upper Northeast Tennessee. In my version of heaven, this is always my sky - brilliant and achingly beautiful. This earth gives us just a one-month snippet of this heaven, but oh what a month it is!

As you can see, our trees are just slightly turning (look at that sky!). We did go for a drive recently, and much higher up in elevation, there are some gorgeous colors. But here in the valley, we're still quite green but things are starting to turn!

The marigolds are out in full now. These are African marigolds, and I love the vibrancy of them. Any pictures I take are never touched up, you see things just as my terrible photography skills capture them. In this case, a good photographer isn't needed! The marigolds speak for themselves.

One thing I've always loved this time of year is when leaves begin to collect under the trees. To some people it represents raking, which is apparently either a loved or hated task, there doesn't seem to be any in-between feelings about raking leaves! As you can see, the leaves that are still on the trees are mostly green, but we are getting a few that are gathering now. I'm hoping that for Halloween our yard is in full color and the weather cooperates so we can be outside most of the day. Scroll past the next three pictures for continued narrative! I got carried away with leaves on the ground pictures, apparently.

Did you notice the light in some of the above pictures? They were taken during early mid-day (is that a thing?? Like say around 1 p.m. or so . . .). The Autumn light has such a different tilt. It's funny, too, because parts of our yard can be bathed in sunlight and the rest in constant shade this time of year. It's science, that's all, but it still fascinates me how that works. I'm either very easily entertained, or it's amazing science, not sure which! Either way, the slant of the sun this time of year keeps me entertained for weeks on end. 

Love my little Autumn is in the air sign. It greets you as you come up our long driveway and is tucked into one of our corn fodder stacks made by my dad from our own garden corn stalks. I cannot believe what they charge for a large corn fodder stack these days. I'd never pay that kind of money. If we ever don't grow corn, I just won't bother having the fodder stacks! No way am I forking over $20 for one of those! And we have several, so it would be a costly, perishable decoration.

It's been an odd year, for sure, and I know that I'm not alone in feeling that. Usually, the tide of the year begins turning with our annual trek to the local county fair in July. A tour of the arts and crafts and food exhibits, followed by a funnel cake marks a significant shift in time for me. It has always signaled that the best of summer is yet to come because that trip to the county fair indicates that Autumn is soon to follow. It's a rite of passage each year. It marks time, the indication that our annual breakfast downtown at one of our historic churches is within reach in just a little over two months. And that breakfast is the tradition of a comforting Autumn morning out with family. There's good food, followed by a trek around town to see the scarecrow displays, then a quick trip to go through the art exhibit in one of the wings of our historic hotel, and then, finally, a stroll through the antique mart. We did not get to do any of those things this year, and, while I count my blessings that we've all remained healthy and still have jobs (I TRULY am grateful for that), my heart missed those things terribly. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has mourned lost traditions this year.

But Halloween is coming up! There will be a whopping six of us gathering for the day. We are within each other's bubble of living during the pandemic times, but we will still be careful to social distance for the day. I'm so very hoping that the weather will cooperate. I'm in the mood for a pitfire (it will be the first one of the year, can you believe that??), although I've struggled with the menu. I still cannot decide whether to do breakfast foods, or chili with all the fixings (it is Crocktober, after all), or hot dogs and baked beans (vegan dogs for me and my husband, of course). We'll see what we end up with in the end! Craving pecan pie, too. 

I'm off to scramble some eggs to go with some vegan sausage and toast. It's chilly this morning, in the low 40s with a nice warm-up today and tomorrow. Friday turns cold again with highs only in the 50s, but then we move back up to the 60s, which, as you know by now, is my sweet spot. If it stayed between 60 and 65 degrees year round, I would be thrilled. 

I'm still putting pumpkin spice creamer in my coffee these days, my drink of choice at the moment. It'll stay that way until the day after Thanksgiving when I magically switch over to other creamer flavorings such as eggnogg, peppermint, gingerbread, etc. I pretty much like all of them, but then I'm not a picky eater. Blessed Wednesday to you! Tomorrow begins Friday Eve, which is pretty much the start of the weekend!

Wellness Soup and Pumpkin Pie

Let's start with a picture of my pumpkin pie. A couple things to note: I do not use crust. I haven't in years. I'm not a fan of crust UNLESS it's one of Peggy Ann's (local bakery) pies. Now, those crusts are worth eating and then some. But for me, pumpkin pie does not need crust. I use the old-fashioned Libby's recipe but I spice it a bit differently than the recipe suggests. I'm a nutmeg and ginger girl, so that's what this pie gets, and it's truly nice. It lets you really taste the pumpkin flavor with just a minor added layer of distinction. As mentioned in my earlier blog, I do add cinnamon to pumpkin pie as it gets closer to Christmas, but for Autumn, it's ginger and nutmeg all the way. And if it looks like the pie is more cool whip than pie, you're right. Remember, I'm a child of the 70s. We LOVE cool whip!

Remember that time things got crazy and we all had to start wearing masks and the government sent us extra money and we half-worked from home and half-worked from the office and the media went nuts and I found out that Crocktober is a THING?!

I digress. Here's my first Crocktober recipe (we are a week into this month, already, I'm over here just about dying because it's going way too fast for me). I was going to do a Hungarian goulash, but I opted for a wellness soup instead. ALL fresh veggies in a tomato-Hungarian paprika/veggie broth base, cooked on high for four hours, then on low for a remaining two hours. The fresh veggies consisted of carrots, bell peppers, onions, potatoes, garlic and celery. The veggie broth was organic, as was the can of diced tomatoes. Spices included Hungarian paprika, smoked paprika, one large bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste. Served with Parmesan garlic knots and chased down by a large slice of pumpkin pie, it truly was an Autumnal meal and extremely healthy. Isn't it pretty?? It was a lovely, rich, deep red color from the spices and tomatoes. 

Okay, so for all you Oscar fans (you know who you are, you can hardly handle the adorable level of that face, I'm in that same boat with you; it's why he's so spoiled, he gets whatever he wants), here he is. He was my home office helper yesterday. He did a very good job keeping an eye on things outside so that birds and squirrels and such stayed away from the window while Gammy worked. I may or may not have picked him up several times and smooched on him. He forgave me each time and settled back down to work, keeping an eye on things. Such a very, very good boy. I think he's just yummy.

Speaking of working from home, I find that I tend to over-work myself even more since I've started working partially from home. It's really easy - if you're not careful - to pretty much be constantly tuned in to your job and never really separate yourself from it once you start working from home. I go in to the office every day for about six hours, then the remainder of my time I do at home. I'm a type-A personality about my job. If there's something that needs doing, I find that I'm driven to do it, no matter what. A big silver lining to Bunny and babies is that they force me to separate myself in the late afternoon hours in order to care for them and spend time with them outside. But then, I'm often right back to the work thing. I'm trying to work on a better balance because I know it's going to be this way for a while. You'd think I'd have that balance down by now, but I don't!

We are starting to see touches of color, but it's slow going. That's okay, just means that things will be prettier farther along in the year. I'm looking forward to Halloween and cannot believe it's only three-and-a-half weeks away. How lucky for all of us that it's on a Saturday with a full moon!! Here's hoping for clear skies and good ghost stories. I'm still listening to creepy podcasts every day while I isolate at my office and work away, a solo soul wrestling with data and software systems! You should hear me screech sometimes when someone comes up on my floor and knocks on my door. I lose myself in my work and those podcasts, so getting startled is a given. It's hilarious at times!

I haven't watched Halloween yet. I'm saving that for the week before October 31st. It'll really help crank up the mood. It's my all-time favorite scary movie, and I have quite a few. The franchise itself is fun; I've watched all of the Halloween movies several times, but that first one! Nothing like it. The 2018 sequel to Halloween was excellent, too. I've only seen it once, so we have plans to watch that on Friday, October 30th. 

There's still so much left to do this Autumn. I don't know if we'll fit it all in, but I'll certainly be trying. I have to say, if nothing else, the weather has been a gift. This is the first time in ages that I can remember that we've had seasonal temps below our normal Autumn average, and it has been just wonderful. Looks like we do have rain rolling in on Saturday and Sunday, but since we are heading into our dry season with wildfire hazards, I'm not complaining. We've had to watch parts of our region burn terribly before. It's heartbreaking. The rain coming in will certainly help out with keeping our dry season much safer.

 Today feels like a hot dog topped with chili kind of day. (Vegan hot dogs can be very good if you know what brand to buy, as can canned, vegan chili!). I like mine with a giant squirt of mustard on top of the chili, too. Gives it that extra tang. Paired with a cold Dr. Enuf, that's some good eating. We have pumpkin donuts and pumpkin ice cream, as well, so I'm all set! Blessed day to you. I hope that wherever you are, the weather is beautiful and your food is excellent!

Happy October, Be Sure to Look Up!

Happy October! How quickly we got here. It's amazing that as crazy as 2020 has been, it hasn't felt like it's been dragging on forever. It's truly flying by for me. Between work and the latest set of rescues, we have barely had time to breathe. That's okay, though. Busy means life is happening.

We still have some really beautiful things in the garden.It's definitely in the very-nearly-winding-down phase, but the zinnias are still producing here and there, and the French marigolds and African marigolds (which do well in Autumn) are flourishing.

First up are my French marigolds. Aren't they stunning? That color and those curls! Full disclosure, though; in the next picture, you can see that they've grown into the butterfly bush (which is also still flourishing). Next year, I've got to re-design where these are going, but for now, they're lovely mixed in with the purple of the butterfly bush. I think, though, that they needed a larger space to spread. There are GOBS of these, and they should have been planted in a much bigger space. Live and learn! We'll do that next year for sure.

See that pink flower? That's a white zinnia that crossed with a pink zinnia and created the most gorgeous shade of pale pink! Wouldn't it be a beautiful lipstick color? Humans can try as hard as they please, but there will never, ever be anything human-created-related that will compare to the colors that nature produces. Anyone who thinks otherwise has never watched a garden grow and change and flourish. 

Y'all, look at Lacey. Isn't she a hoot? She's a half-and-half girl. Half the time, she sleeps in the bed beside me, the other half she sleeps on the floor on one of her big (not-so-cheap-cost-me-a-bundle) beds. She has big dog beds everywhere. Not spoiled AT ALL. Look at those ears. They are the cutest things. I look at her and just melt. 

I tell people the truth about me: I'm a cat person, hands down. But then right behind that, I'm a border collie person. THEN I'm a dog person. Make sense? I love dogs, don't get me wrong, but at the end of the day, if I"m going to have just one dog, it's going to be a rescue border collie. I do not pay breeders for dogs since there are thousands of border collies that need adopted. I'm more than happy to pay a large adoption fee but not a breeder fee. I have no issue with a good breeder with ethics and morals. It's just that there are so many terrible breeders out there that the dogs they produce often end up needing rescued. I'll just walk away from that rant, though. Today is a beautiful day, no need to ruin it with that discussion! Anyway, my border collie is gorgeous and sweet and a very, very good girl.

And will you look at Bunny? Mama kitty is so full of herself. I take her on walks around the yard. Here she is sitting by part of Christina Gardens, the giant African marigolds. There are two huge patches of these in front of our house. She loves to mosey around in them. They're fragrant, and I'm sure there are smells of mousies and bunnies and other things in the gardens. She has the best time. Every now and then, her chunky self will get a spurt of energy and go running halfway up a huge tree trunk, then she'll launch off of it and take off on a wild run across part of the property. It's hilarious! I just wanna get her and give her a huggy-squeeze after one of those!

I absolutely have to talk about the beginning of this month. The gifts have been huge. We are having a true Autumn this year. It's been cool/cold for a couple weeks now, and so far, there doesn't appear to be a big warm-up in sight. I mean, it's 39 degrees right now! Plus, the Harvest Moon is just stunning, and the sky is October blue! The leaves in town are starting to turn. Our property/area tends to lag a little bit and Autumn and Spring shows up about a week later than other parts of the county for some reason, but hopefully, soon, I'll have colorful pictures to share.

Bakeries are full of pumpkin everything, and I've been happily eating my way through these early days of Autumn. Candy is a-plenty, too! I finished off my first bag of mellowcreme pumpkins. I have yet to get my bag of mixed mellowcremes, you know - the ones with maple leaves, chocolate bats, banana corn, and vanilla pumpkins. I love those even more than the bag of just pumpkins, but I only ever know of two places in town that carry them. One of my weekend goals is to grab a bag of them. They're really good with a cup of coffee around 3 p.m. I've had several bakery pumpkin items from two local places. I don't dare make large batches of any of it a home. That's all I'll eat if I do. I think I'll make my first pumpkin pie this weekend. I love it ice cold with a huge scoop of cool whip. This time of year, I make mine with fresh nutmeg and ground ginger. I do like cinnamon in it, too, but I like it made with cinnamon closer to Christmas. 

I've got to get to the store today for my Crocktober ingredients! I was originally going to make the American version of goulash, but I think I'm going to do the Hungarian (ish) version instead, vegetarian, of course. I think I need to replace my smoked paprika, though. It's over two years old and, although it may be okay to eat (not sure, but maybe), I think it has lost a lot of its flavor. It doesn't smell nearly as strong as it used to, and the last thing you want in this dish is weak smoked paprika. Luckily, our local bulk store carries spices in varying amounts, so they're very inexpensive to replace. If it turns out, I'll share with my folks (mom, hope you read that). 

I'm so looking forward to our foliage this year. In a couple weeks, we'll be going for that drive where we get our giant, hot glazed donut and coffee from the donut truck as we head of out of town and up the mountains for leaf peeping and small hikes, followed by a hot lunch somewhere. I cannot wait. I recall a few years ago that my husband and I missed going on this little yearly trek, and I was heartbroken at the time. We are never guaranteed tomorrow. I knew that I would have to wait another whole twelve months for that excursion, and it did depress me a bit. But here we are, getting ready for it again! 

Gotta run now. Have to pull together today's list of items needed for goulash and pumpkin pie (best list ever, right?). Plus, this cool air is invigorating, and Lacey is loving it. Before it gets light out, I need to take her back out under that full Harvest Moon one more time! I'll share pictures of the goulash and pie soon! In the meantime, I hope you have a beautiful weekend and that, wherever you are, Autumn weather finds you. Love to you from the Crazy-Cat-I-Must-Have-A-Border-Collie Lady.

PS - the last picture is my own indulgence - baby Trudy with her toy. Be still my heart. This one gets to me. She can have anything she wants. Look at the beautiful shape of her head and tiny self. God knew exactly what he was doing when he designed kittens.