Soup's On

It's cold up here on the mountain now and I have returned to one of my Saturday routines of making soup to be eaten Sunday evening.  There is usually enough left for two more dinners so I freeze and then vacuum pack the leftovers and "squirrel" it away in my freezer.    Served with my "no fail" popovers or corn bread, it's the best meal.  This week's creation was Butternut Squash and Apple Bisque.  After this stage was done cooking it headed off to my food processor to be made into a heavenly smooth, creamy bisque.   I like to let it set over night to let the flavors blend.    Soup...it does a body good.  Sometime I'll have to share with you my original soup story...I think there is a reason I am so enamored with soup.   But that's for another day.

All Done

BJ has been working so hard to landscape the new back steps.  He had to put in drainage as we had some unexpected water collection at the bottom of the stairway after some heavy rains... that should have been foreseen by the contractor but it's fixed now and fortunately we were home when it happened.  He has planted some deer proof grasses and added more dirt and mulch and now I think it looks like it's been there forever.   The little orange stakes will be where the outdoor lighting will be located...yes...that will mean coming and going without our trusty flashlight...when we've ever remembered to bring that!

 He has continued on the rock wall as well.

Julie

When I discovered a couple months ago that I could actually hold a drawing pencil and even better, have some control, I went back to one of my old drawings that I thought I had finished but after so many months away I realized, with fresh eyes, that there was more to be done.  So now "Julie" is finished and I've been working on this one so long that I'm starting to see my face in hers...the falling chin, saggy eyes, droopy mouth..oy!  This is just another reminder to all of us aging folks to smile!!!  It's nature's facelift!!  Now to move on to something else...maybe someone with fewer wrinkles this time...:-)



Trial And Error, But Mostly Error

The other day I had posted a photo of one of our lovely maple trees and then the next day I discovered that the photo was missing...hmmm...I realized that after I posted it, I went back into Picassa and deleted it thinking I did not need it anymore...well, I guess that's a no-no as it also deleted it from my blog.  Talk about these two sights being well connected.  So anywyay, here it is again, a spash of color in a sea of green.  A little more sunshine on it would have been nice but hey, we can wait for March for that, no big deal.  That's what Vitamin D supplements are for.



Attention All Bloggers

I don't know about the rest of you but I have had trouble lately uploading my photos to my blog.  I went to the "help" button and ended up reading all kinds of similar complaints on the internet.  Here is the usual scenario...I click on my browser, it lets me upload one pix and when that is done, it won't let me do another one unless I go to the dashboard, and click to edit my current entry and try the whole process over again, one pix at a time.  Well, I kept seeing that one of the locations to upload from is Picassa Web Album so thought, what the heck, I'll open an account there, upload my photos to Picassa and then retrieve them from Picassa to my blog.  WOW, is it ever fast now!!!!  Do you suppose all these websights are in cahoots with one another...nah, that's just too cynical to think that way...realistic but cynical.

Downright Civilized!

While I was gone in MN they poured concrete for the steps leading to the back door.  I have posted some before and after photos and the new steps are quite delightful.  It will be so nice not to be slipping and sliding around this winter.  BJ and Deere John will be busy now filling in with rocks, dirt and mulch to make it look more natural but what a treat to have one more thing finished around here...hey, it's only been 8 years!

Aren't these wonderful?

Merle's Door

For all of you who currently have, or had, or especially, are thinking of getting a dog, this book is a must.  I just finished it last night as I could not read it on the ferry ride home lest someone think I was in great distress with tears running down my cheeks.   It will change the way you think of your dog and most of all it will be a reminder of what wonderful creatures dogs are and how they bring such joy to our lives.  Ted Kerasote, the author, has a marvelous way of sharing Merle's life and it is a heartwarming story of man's truly best friend.  I'm going to go give Hank an extra belly rub now and then next week I'm going to the market to buy him a "real" bone.