We were out for a walk on Monday, and saw Tom and Sky out on their golf cart.  Jon noticed how gray her muzzle is getting and Tom told us that she will soon be ready for "senior food."  Wow, where did the time go?

 

I just looked it up in the archives, and I introduced y'all to Sky back in April, 2019.  She was just a puppy then.  Here is her picture to refresh your memory.  Or you can go back and read the entry for April 24, 2019.

 

 

It is so fun seeing the kids grow up.  

 

HAPPY 2026!!!

 

Here is my Golden Pathos.  I got this plant when we moved here in 2004.  It lives on top of a music speaker that is 24 inches high.  At one point the vines crept along the floor, up the step, and continued up the wall toward the loft.  That was really beautiful.  And we left it to grow that way for a few years.  

 

Then the lower leaves turned yellow and fell off, leaving the top leaves up high with only vines clinging to the wall.  That was really ugly.  It needed to go away.  When I tried to detach the vines from the wall, the roots took the top layer of drywall with it.  Yack!!!  We had to repair the wall, then repaint that whole section going up the stairs to the loft.  

 

We are very careful now to monitor the vines and make sure they don't attach themselves to ANYTHING.  

 

Some things we just have to learn the hard way.  I am telling you this story so you can learn the easy way.  ;)

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

Here is my Spider plant living upstairs.  I was a little concerned about the brown tips (you know how they get.) 

 

Well, I read lately that most house plants are dormant this time of year, so it's best to go light on the water.  Too much water can cause them to suffer.  I usually only water my indoor plants every ten days.  And so far they are doing ok.  But I will check  before I water to make sure the soil is dry.  

 

I thought you'd like to know.  

 

HAPPY WINTER, 2026!!!

 

A couple days ago we stuffed mushrooms with a lovely quinoa mixture, and had a bunch leftover.  So last night I cooked one of our very own butternut squashes, and stuffed it with the quinoa mix.  Wow, was it good.  

 

If you want the recipe, here it is:  cut a butternut in half and scoop out the seeds and discard, or save them to plant in the spring.  Cook the squash cut side down for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.  Then turn them right side up and stuff with your favorite savory mixture of rice, quinoa, or whatever grain you like, and cook another 10 minutes.  We grated a little Parmesan cheese on top.  Hey, curry something would be a really good stuffing too;  maybe next time.

 

 

HAPPY COOKING!!!

 

HAPPY 2026!!!  

 

Yikes!!!  It was cold yesterday.  Look at that wind chill:  8 degrees.  But also look at the future forecast:  snow!!!

 

It probably won't snow, but it's fun to think about.  I mean, if it's going to be cold, we could at least get snow.  I am not trying to tell Mother Nature how to do her job;  I'm just asking for a bit of the fun stuff.  

 

Anyway, it's supposed to be warmer today.  We will take it.  ;)

 

 

HAPPY WINTER!!!

 

After all this cold weather, the catnip is still green.  Gizmo's happy with that.  He still likes to roll in it, nibble at it, and sleep near it.  I think it's kinda stinky, but he loves it.

 

And it seems to be ok with the cold weather.  

 

I hope you are warm and happy.  

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 

Yep, this is the trail.  Now you see why we needed resting rocks along the way.

 

Blood Mountain is a beautiful section on the Appalachian Trail.  In fact, it is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia.   The Appalachian Trail begins at Springer Mountain, Georgia, about 30 miles from this section.  We often meet through hikers in the spring on their way to Mount Katahdin, Maine.  That is the end of the 2,200 mile trail. 

 

Of course, we have no intention of through hiking, but it is always a happy day to hike this little bit of the Appalachian Trail.

 

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

 

I showed you the resting rock in our neighborhood last week.  Well, yesterday we hiked up Blood Mountain in Georgia and we stopped at all the good resting rocks.  This was our favorite.  It is a huge rock along the Appalachian Trail, and located at just the right place for a needed rest.  And best of all, there was a spot just the right height for me to park myself for a little rest.

 

It was a gorgeous day for a hike: 73 degrees;  it felt like May or June.  There were lots of folks on the trail, and we all had smiles on our faces.  

 

I hope your weather is nice right now.  I know there are lots of places where it is really cold;  and we will get that soon enough, but for now we are loving our warm December.  

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 

You gotta have pie for Christmas dinner, right?  Well, we made blueberry pie.  This is how it looked ready to go into the oven.  It wasn't quite as pretty coming out, but I'm not going to show you that.  It spilled over a bit.  And once we cut into it, it wasn't all that pretty anymore anyway.  Sure was good, though.

 

Hope you did something fun for your Christmas dinner.

 

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!