What Bird is That?

34 this morning, overcast and light showers. Brrr.

I had to make a quick run to town this morning, as I used up the last of the rabbit feed last night. We needed a waterer and feed bowl for the buck's new home too. So now he is all set up, everyone is fed and happy. Eggs are gathered,  hens watered and fed, dogs and cat ditti, and I can take a short break.

On the way out,  I spotted these two lovelies on the small lake at the end of our road. 

These birds have been here for over a week, and I cannot figure out what they are. Unfortunately there is no way to get closer for a better photo, at least for this old lady. Are they trumpeter swans, or snow geese? Or mute swans? I wish I could figure it out. I can't quite see their beaks, which would help. They are so lovely.

Larry should be back this evening, so the house is all mine today. Sometimes a day alone is good. Got laundry done, scrubbed the stove, swept, bed made, etc, etc, and now I am just reading blogs and drinking tea. I have a simmerpot of apples, cinnamon sticks and whole nutmeg on the stove and carols on the CD player (yes, we are a couple decades behind!). It's a gray ol' day,  but cozy as can be inside. Later I will work on Christmas cards, and maybe make noodles from the overabundance of eggs in the fridge. Our hens are being very generous these days! 

A few holiday vignettes from around the house:

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Crafting, and Weekend

Didn't check the temperature this morning, but right now it is 30f. Got up to 50 today, mostly overcast but a nice day.

It is a quiet night here, just me and the dogs as Larry is away overnight. Earlier, just after dark, the dogs were outside and barking like crazy. What was out there? Who knows. It was pitch black with no moon, and heavy cloud cover. I went out with a light but saw nothing, yet both dogs were hackled up and growling.  So something, definitely.  

With Larry gone, I have had a busy day. Yes, still canning, this time venison stew. It is as handy as a can of Dinty Moore, I swear. I also tied some evergreens with red ribbon to hang on the porch and cellar house, made this garland of apples and orange slices I dried,

and made a few mini wreaths of rosemary to hang in the windows.

Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs, and folklore has many powers associated with it.

Yesterday I did one of my closet sorting-outs, getting rid of things I haven't worn for a while, and then semi-organizing by color. 

I used to do this when I was working, to save time in the mornings, and now I still do it because it still saves time. I don't actually own a lot of clothes; these in the closet, 3 drawers in a dresser, and a small lingerie chest are all I have. And all I need. I've never been much about clothes, which is fortunate because our house does not have much in the way of closet space. 

I am happy to report that our rabbits are doing well. We fixed up a second hutch and separated the buck from the does and babies yesterday. The first babies are growing so fast! They are already, at one month old, about half the size of their mothers.

I just realized that I hadn't written about the weekend. Two of my sisters, one from the other side of West Virginia and the other from northern Virginia, came to visit and we had such a good time. Afyer a lovely visit Friday evening with my son Derek and his daughter and granddaughter, we were up early Saturday for breakfast and a craft show in town. It was so nice to be able to introduce my sisters to many froends there. Then we drove down to Huntington to see our only remaining aunt, who is now 89. On the way we stopped to see this West Virginia icon: Mothman!

We had a good visit with our aunt and her bird Frankie,

then stopped at an antique mall where I ran into a friend who has a booth there. We got back to Ripley just in time for the Christmas parade. What fun! I do enjoy a nighttime parade. 

It was a very full day. My sisters had to leave Sunday morning, and I was so sad to see them drive away. I will probably not see them again until family reunion in May.

Now I think it is time to sleep. Goodnight, friends!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

I Wasn't Expecting to be Doing This in December

28f this morning,  warmed up quickly. I have the door open, letting in that sweet fresh air. Moved my plants out to the porch too. They look happy.

Who expects to be canning corn in December? And yet, here I am.

A friend came by with a big box of frozen corn, along with a couple gallons of frozen blueberries, and a few other things from a big food giveaway. Our freezers are now completely full. There sure wasn't any room for corn, so canning was the best alternative.  I will end up with 25 quarts.

I really didn't need any corn; we froze about 20 quarts of the dirt we grew in the summer. But this would have gone to waste. So next year, looks like we won't be planting much corn at all. Which is fine with me, as corn takes up a lot of space and is a heavy feeder.

Before this madness began, I enjoyed a moment on the porch for coffee. This crazy weather!

I was out there in short sleeves, and yesterday I would have had to bundle in multiple layers. No complaints from me, though.  

Back to the corn for me! 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.