November is flying by -

. . . . . . . .leaves are falling, nights are cooler, mornings often misty, 

and some  people are already putting up Christmas decorations.  

Not here though!

I really wasn't planning to write a post today so this may be brief. I was up early due to the downstairs smoke detector beeping - no fire thankfully but a dead battery. Why does this always happen at night - well early morning in this case? I was still snuggled in my recent change to cozy flannel sheets! As we didn't have an early appointment I thought I could have a little extra sleep/rest. Plans changed. We didn't have a replacement battery - dozens of other sizes but not the required one - so Bob left early for the nearby Target to pick up a pack of 9V.  We decided to also replace the battery in the upstairs detector as it would probably wake us up soon - you know, 'Murphy's Law' and all that!

I've treated myself to several new books recently. They all revolve around food and eating, holiday cooking, and international dishes. I love everything written by British food writer-author, Nigel Slater. I have other books by him and have been meaning to purchase 'Christmas Chronicles' for several years. Whilst pre-ordering his new book 'A Thousand Feasts' I added the other one and they showed up together - that was a wonderful day . . . . . . . now I just need time to read them, preferably curled up by the fire.

This book above was just published and is already a New York Times Best Seller! I had pre-ordered Betül's first ever book because I follow her truly amazing cooking videos on Instagram. Love her recipes and her story of growing up in Turkey. There are some great baking recipes.........and I need more time to try my hand at them. Everything she prepares is beautiful, and the way in which she cooks with older traditional utensils and cookware, wearing clothes from another era in her homeland, is something I've become addicted to and find extremely relaxing.

My Thanksgiving cactus is opening pink blooms and there are many. I've really been giving a lot of TLC to this plant all year. Carried it out to the front porch on warm, sunny days, shielded it from raging hot summer afternoons. Fed and watered, and then brought it in at night. These past 5-6 weeks I put it to bed it in the dark all night. The buds soon appeared at the tip of every leaf. Now they're rewarding me with lovely dangly flowers which hopefully will last a while.

The Cancer Center where Bob is receiving his chemotherapy is quite new. It's a very well designed building and the different waiting areas are laid out to make those of us who wait......and then wait some more, feel comfortable and cared for - just as they do for the patients. I recall our two rushed visits to the ER earlier this year. Just finding seat to wait those long waits until a hospital room was available was not easy. Having art to look at and enjoy wasn't part of the scene. . . . . . . . . watching people was often sad and upsetting. Life is all about health. Good health is the most important thing.

The wing where chemo infusions are given has a really pleasant waiting area with comfortable seating and some awesome art. Paintings are colorful and interesting, North Carolina makers and artisans have donated - or people have purchased their work and then donated it to the Cancer Center - really fun pieces.

I make sure Bob is comfortable in his space with his nurse, then move out to the waiting area so he can relax or take a nap! I actually think know he just chats about our travels all the time to the medical staff! Thankfully they seem to enjoy his company and stories. Their first question to me is always. . . . ."is it true you've been to Antarctica?"  

I take my knitting with me, sometimes a book and read a while. I admit I look at my phone too but my eyes often roam to this favorite item, a figurative clay piece by Lisa Joerling. I love it with the bird perched on her head so I aways sit where I can view it. Small, quiet, lovely things are important to get you through the difficult days.

Thanks for stopping by. I guess this wasn't brief after all!  I hope to be back here soon - I still need to do a least a little Christmas decorating to share in the coming weeks.

Too hot to bake.....and more about Bob!

I have mixed feelings about coming here so infrequently.  Guilt?  Definitely!

I'm having feelings that blogging is just too much like hard work compared to Instagram. Speed and ease of posting a photo or photos, typing just about anywhere when you have a phone and a few spare minutes. One and done kind of communication. My IG account is Private so I don't have to deal with strangers and the unknown. That said, I feel sad not spending more time here on the blog but, in all honesty, I just haven't had that time this first half of the year for many, and varied, reasons.

Just as the late Queen Elizabeth stated in 1992 regarding her 'annus horribilis' year - I think 2024 is turning out to be mine.

 

Truthfully, it really is too hot to bake this summer. Independence Day holiday in Raleigh brought the highest temperature ever recorded here, 117F. Nobody in their right mind would turn the oven on in that heat. Thankfully there are bakeries - this beautiful loaf was baked at our favorite in downtown, Boulted Bread. Their pastries are also great, the plain croissant being top of my list, one of the best ever. We're now a little cooler and having long awaited rain. I am back baking and roasting, and we are enjoying frequent al fresco dining in the screened gazebo most evenings.

A couple of posts back in May I shared Bob's emergency hospitalization. During that upsetting time, following so many tests and scans, two tumors were visible on an MRI. Going forward with a visit to a urologist after leaving hospital, an exploratory surgical procedure was ordered and Bob went under general anesthesia in hospital. Sadly the diagnosis is cancer. Last week, while awaiting major surgery, he was given one dose of chemo and has managed well, no pain, no side effects. The blood infection, in case you're wondering, had nothing to do with the cancer, however helped in discovering it in time to prevent spread hopefully!

Bob's surgery will be a robotic-assisted Nephroureterectomy which includes losing a kidney (but thankfully he has a healthy looking one remaining). Other bits will also be taken but hopefully he will not require chemo/radiation afterward if there is no metastases. Fingers are tightly crossed, prayers are being said by family and wonderful friends - many thanks to you all.

I'm sad and sorry that I haven't been able to visit/comment on blogs for far too long. I will return here soon, probably once we get the surgery date. As the cancer is a rare and aggressive type we expect to get the go ahead as soon as he can be worked into the surgeon/hospital schedules. 

Please keep Bob in your thoughts - some of you have met him and know what a great man he is, the rest of you please take my word for it.............he is very special, has beaten cancer before, and is sure he can do it again.

Sunflowers, seeds and squirrels at Summer's end -

 

Some days back, in heat, but not too hot, in sunshine shaded by clouds in the Carolina Blue sky, we gathered our garden tools, put on gloves and hats, and went on a mission in the garden. Taking down the last sunflower was quite a job. Even with the last couple of feet bent and bowing to the earth, this fading beauty was still quite a monster, the huge head of seeds very heavy. The stem required the big loppers, no basic pruners could make a gash in it let alone cut through it.  Bob is almost 6 feet so I'm guessing the sunflower was around ten feet.  Why I never thought to stretch it out on the ground to measure it before cutting it up I don't know. Blame it on two older gardeners' just wanting to get the job done and the mess cleaned up! After all, there were other things waiting, the fried hydrangeas to clip, potted plants to toss, bird baths to clean and replenish, feeders to fill, and watering to do.

I've saved some of the seeds from this huge sunflower.  I made sure the seeds were clean and dry and have stored them in a glass jar.  There's no way I desire to plant an entire field of sunflowers next Spring. . . . . . . so I will be sharing these seeds with neighbors and friends who might enjoy them.

The sunflower head I left tucked into the garden bench - as I did with the former ones we cut down - and of course it didn't take long for the squirrels and birds to discover a feast!

We are currently under a severe flood watch here in central North Carolina.  Early this morning Hurricane Ophelia made landfall at the coast. Winds have been gusty bringing power outages and fallen trees - fortunately neither here at our home - but fingers are still crossed! However, the rain has been torrential and will continue another 2-3 hours.  Yesterday Bob mowed the brown dried out grass, and blew the newly fallen leaves and acorns. Today brilliant green grass has returned and he'll be out there again tomorrow with the leaf blower once things have dried out.

Autumn has arrived - I'm happy - but hurricane activity is always worrisome.

Stay safe if you are being impacted by bad weather.

A Squirrel's Tale. . . . . . . . . . .

This is a tale. 

Just a silly tale about one of many animals who seem to

 enjoy sharing the garden here at the cottage.

 If you have your own squirrels you'll know what it's like,
 if not, but you like them and think they're cute, I hope you enjoy
 getting to know mine. We have a constant run on our bird feeders
 from a family of about 10 grey squirrels who nest in our backyard oak trees.

"The good people from the cottage are at it again, back and forth filling the bird feeders every day now that really cold weather has arrived here in North Carolina. I hear the Mr. moaning about the price of seed, whereas Mrs. just keeps grabbing one of those digital cameras, raises the blind and takes pictures - it's too cold to be outside waiting for a "good shot" so she manages to get me through the glass. I have to admit I look pretty cute, don't I?"

"Yesterday she actually remembered to put some tasty birdseed in the silver-plated upside down hanging lid - one of the more posh recycled feeders in the back garden. I love this one because I can forget performing gymnastics and just sit in the dish munching non-stop, no balancing acts required. I found it early this morning just after the Northern Flicker, that rather large handsome woodpecker, arrived. I scared him away and just sat here having more portraits snapped while enjoying the best breakfast. Did you know I've heard them calling me a pesky squirrel - I wonder why. As I said earlier, I am cute, aren't I?"

"Later I took a break and decided to meet a friend in the front garden for a quick lunchtime snack. We cleaned up some of the yummy mixed seed falling from the feeder above us - yes, we actually stayed off it and gave the bluebirds, cardinals, finches etc. a little breathing room. In all honesty, that particular feeder is the new one which is really hard to figure out - its little windows close when I try hanging upside down and I can't get to the delicious morsels . . . . . . and its really embarrassing in front of my family and friends when I keep falling to earth."

"Well, doesn't look like a day for paddling or sipping, the ice is solid until the Mr. arrives with the hot tea kettle and we have a little melt down around here! Meanwhile, they're still trying to temp me with that bag of mostly dried corn - called 'squirrel food' - they bought. It's OK for a change, but you know something, I really do prefer the yummy crunchy birdseed in the feeders. So, not long and I'll be back performing somersaults and gymnastics on those backyard feeders I know I can get into . . . . . . showtime coming soon, hope to see you there."

Please know that no grey squirrels or garden birds were injured by Mr. Bob during his foray into the garden with very hot water. He just pours enough to melt the ice so all can get a drink on these below freezing days.

Below, our official forecast from the local TV station for

 tomorrow (Friday) - it doesn't sound good, especially

 freezing rain which is of course ICE - and the warning of

 possible power outages. Schools and business will be closing

 of course, and kids will want the right fluffy white stuff

 to build snow persons and such.

Overcast and breezy with a wintry mix likely. Expect snow, freezing rain and sleet during the morning. We could have mainly freezing rain and sleet most of the day with more snow mixing in toward the evening and overnight hours. Expect higher snow accumulations as you head north and west of the Triangle. Ice accumulations will be possible, so roads are likely to become slick in parts of the viewing area.

Looks like Winter has arrived at long last.

February Snow. . . . . . . .

Totally unexpected. Well they did say a few flurries possible. It started

around 6:30 am and was already sticking by the time I looked out at 7:30 am. 

It's still falling now, huge fluffy flakes flying by the window as I write, and it's 

almost 2:00 pm. We may get about three inches today. 

Of course this is nothing compared to up north, but for here in the south it means 

everything is shutting down again - just as the ice from last week melted and 

was a memory, and the kids returned to school yesterday, but are off again today.

I just had to let you see my flannel-robed snowman/birdman out early this morning 

to refill the feeders and toss some crumbs and seed out. Dozens of birds, and four 

squirrels, were looking for breakfast by 7:30 am - they know when the weather 

conditions will be bad.

Note Bob is none the worse for wear after yesterday's slip cover debacle!

Temperature will remain around freezing today so little melting expected.

Hope you enjoy these pics from my garden today. 

Another storm may pass through tomorrow night bringing 

more snow on Thursday morning. . . . . and here I was thinking

Spring was about to appear. 

That old Mother Nature is up to her trickery again.