ODDS AND BODS AND HELLO SUNSHINE, ARE YOU ENJOYING YOUR COFFEE THIS FINE MORNING?

Good Morning and how are you today?

We are currently discussing if my coffee and I want to participate in this day.

Let’s go!

It’s safe to say, I am not the cat,  I am, however, the slow starter but here we are at the…

Dog stick library - He once was a wolf. Now he is a golden boy with a stick library.

…meeting up with a friend and that’s okay, he is still a wolf at heart. Just try and take that stick away from him later. You will have a wrestling match on your hands. 

Cute art of kids going off to school above and one below reminding me of the rainy days we have been having lately. In this picture a sweet kitty gets wrapped up in a warm scarf and taken to a loving home. Kitty will have a warm bed to sleep in that night.

Interesting words.

Kindred Word #30 - Brumous - English - adjective - Foggy, misty or wintry. 

Kindred word #20 - Psithurism - English - noun - The sound of

the wind whispering through the leaves.

Fun with Food!

And here is my imaginary house. 

Just kidding, here it is…

Sorry, I can’t help myself. Here it is… 

 Isn’t it a beauty? Beautiful at night too.

Back to a couple of recipes as I had not quite finished with food. A slow cooker Turkey Breast recipe…and once again I haven’t tried any of these recipes I share. It will be an adventure to me as well as to you. I will have a practice run before Thanksgiving.

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast 

Ingredients: 1 (4 to 6 pound) turkey breast - 3 tablespoons olive oil

or melted butter - 1 tablespoon garlic powder - 1 tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon paprika - 1 teaspoon dried thyme - salt and pepper to taste

1 cup chicken broth.  Instructions:  1. Pat turkey breast dry and rub with

olive oil or butter.  2. Mix garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, thyme,

salt and pepper. Rub all over the turkey.  3. Place the turkey breast in

slow cooker, pour chicken broth around (NOT ON) the meat.  4. Cover

and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, or until internal temperature reaches 

165 degrees F.  5. Optional: broil for 3 to 5 minutes to crisp up the skin

before serving.  6. Slice and serve with juices from the slow cooker.

For dessert.

Knott’s Berry Farm Cookies - “Thumbprint Cookies”, Buena Park, California.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, softened - 1/3 cup sugar - 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup bread flour OR all-purpose flour works just as well. Bread flour will just make

your cookies more chewy 1/4 cup raspberry jam or other jam to your liking.

Instructions:  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  2. Combine butter, sugar, almond 

extract and flour in mixer bowl.  3. Mix until well blended and forms a ball. (Mine

was kind of dry and crumbly, so I added about 2 tablespoons of milk.)   4. Roll into

3/4 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.  5. Make an indentation on top of

each cookie and fill with 1/2 teaspoon of jam.  6. Bake 9 minutes.  7. Let cool and enjoy.

A few wise words.

Let your smile change the world but don’t let the world 

change your smile. 

Be who you are and say how you feel, because those who mind don’t 

matter, and those who matter don’t mind - Theodore Seuss Geisel

For those who need one and for those who don’t think they do.

Here’s a hug for the day. Carry it with you wherever you go.

Sometimes we forget to thank the people who make our lives better just by

being in it, so…thank you!

and always remember

You are worthy and you are loved!

Thanks for visiting and have 

a wonderful day! 

Peace and...

(With thanks to Pinterest for today's inspiration.)

AROUND AND ABOUT A BIT THIS WEEK, AND ANN’S SEPTEMBER HAPPY MAIL

I am starting off with Ann’s September card. The month is zipping right along and I didn’t want any further time to disappear before I mentioned her Happy Mail. She continues to delight those of us who receive them, with her thoughtfulness and wonderful creativity.

Thanks always Ann, you are such a dear friend.

I hope everyone’s week is going well. It was another glorious week for cloud watching here, a little more drama in those skies today. (We have had ongoing construction work on our roads for the last three years, adding an extra lane or two and working along several miles of road. We are nearing the end of our section. I'm sure they will be moving down to another. That's usually how it goes right?)

"Nature is a mutable cloud, which is always and never the same."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

We thought this looked like a very odd Toyota, but it wasn’t long before the penny dropped. It was no Toyota I had seen before, and yet even from a distance, familiar. It wasn't until we got closer that we saw the owner had a sense of humor, or was it something more?

We followed him for a few miles and then the Tesla Cybertruck turned right. 

I went back to cloud watching.

The skies started brightening up later but not before we had a downpour. This short video was at the beginning. It fell heavily afterwards. It's been all quiet today, apart from Mama Squirrel coming for a drink. (Today it got up to 89 degrees F. - 32 degrees C. The leaves are turning, we see signs everywhere and Fall is definitely around the corner.) 

It seems the appropriate time to share one of the jigsaw puzzles. I completed it a few days ago. I don't know what that red umbrella and those beautiful flowers are doing there on the wet cobbled street. We could write our own scenario. Any takers? No, me neither!

One day we decided a trip to our favorite cafe was in order. Hubby took a photo of me. Seriously, how many of you prefer to be behind the camera instead of in front of it? He, like me, loves to play on those phone apps and he changed me into a sketch and finally got my approval. I told him to take the lines out. My skin looked like the Grand Canyon and it ain't that bad yet. Smile Denise!

They were serving their coffee in Christmas mugs. The one I am holding has a wreathe with two cardinals and the word “love”. I can probably purchase one. If I didn’t have a zillion mugs in the cupboard, it might have come home with me, but we are still in the process of downsizing. It’s taking forever! Yes Ms. Kondo, it still sparks joy. That’s the problem, there are too many things around here that spark joy! I am keeping a few favorites that remind me of places we have visited over the years, and also treasures that family and friends have given. The rest are going to the man who keeps a big bus in one of the large parking lots. It's run by our local church where all donated items will be going to a good home.

A few days later we were at the supermarket and my sweet tooth checked out all the different kinds of fudge and cookies, but our sensible personalities took over, and we concentrated on fruits and veggies, except... 

that we were out extra early, missed breakfast and it was lunchtime. We had a slice of pizza in their restaurant area. We could have bought a whole one for less I know but at $4.00 a slice, in our minds, it prevented us from scoffing the lot during the rest of the day. We are trying the mindset of portion control, and those hiccups/side trips are much less than they used to be. Pat on the back for us, yay! 

We saw a family member this week. Last week too as we looked after his vehicle while he was away. Our airport is only half an hour from here. It was good to see him both times as there was a chance for a good catch-up. 

Bless him, he let us use his vehicle for taking things to our local garbage center as it has a truck bed. Gregg made a big dent in the garage, another yay! (This latest pile of 'goodies' was beyond taking to the man in charge of the donation bus). 

When I went out later I said to my dear man, "Where's the ironing board?" I got a sheepish look and an "Errrr....ironing board?" I had put it out there temporarily when I cleared out the area where I stored it. He said, "I thought you didn't like ironing anymore?" True, not that I ever did like ironing but there are times I need one. Oh well, we saw the funny side and there is a new ironing board in our future. And dear Ms Kondo, my ironing board never exactly sparked joy, but I was sorry to see it go.

We have noticed a lot of seasonal decorations in the stores, and saying it seems much earlier than last year. Merchants are getting a head start. A couple of weeks ago we saw these on our way out of the neighborhood. That skeleton is about as tall as I am. It’s huge!

I am not a skeleton person but I can’t seem to help myself, everything is a photo op. The following snapshots are of my favorite house for decorations. I have admired the effort they have put into it for several years now. They have added new ones this year. I'm going to wait until nearer Halloween before I ask Gregg to drive us through the neighborhood at night, not on Halloween but before, or maybe even afterwards. None are taken down too quickly. 

I'm sure these will all be lit up at night and will look exceptionally scary. Personally, I would like to see a few dragons, smiling yes! 

I realized I didn’t have any Halloween decorations and treated myself to a trio of scarecrows in witch hats. That's about as far as I go, and handing out the candy on the night. It is now 43 days until the 31st.

Thanks for looking and take 

good care of yourselves out there.

Enjoy your day.

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - SUGAR COOKIE AND THE NORTH POLE

Fear not Sugar Cookie, the North Pole is thataway!

And that's all she wrote for this week's 

Saturday Morning at the Birdfeeder. 

Thanks for taking a look and have a great day!

For our international friends to translate.

Photo 1:

"What happened to you?"

"Camera Lady?"

"She loves sugar cookies. I'm heading back to the North Pole!"

Photo 2:

" Now he has gone back to the North Pole, I have a question for you."

"What would that be?"

Photo 3:

"What did one Christmas Stocking say to the other?"

"It's fun hanging out with you!"

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - WHAT IS THIS?

 The Goldfinch had a nice surprise today.

Yes, the pinecones are still around, and the birds seem to enjoy picking the seeds out of them.

"Ye gads!" said their many children. "Don't embarrass us!"

(A little nostalgia, at this link you can listen to 

the late great Ella Fitzgerald singing that famous song)

In the meantime, Sophie Squirrel is enjoying the snow, just as long as she can keep her acorn, which she seems very possessive about. That’s okay, sharing is a learning process for her, but she is getting there.

The Dark-eyed Junco is enjoying his peanuts…

and the Mourning Doves say, "Is it going to snow again?" 

And that's how it goes at this week's Saturday Morning at the Bird Feeder.

If you are in the chilly climes, stay warm and if you are in the hottest climes, stay cool, and to all, wishing you Peace.

Thanks for flying in and have a great weekend.

For our international friends to translate.

1st Photo:

"What's this?"

2nd Photo:

"I like these snow cone pinecones."

3rd Photo:

"I wish I had brought my glasses."

4th Photo:

"Hello, who are you?"

"Hello, I'm the coffee shop cookie. I am told I am too delicious for my own good. That lady looked at me very strangely."

5th Photo:

"Baby, it's cold outside."

"That's okay, we have our love to keep us warm."

6th Photo: 

No words, explanation above photo.

7th Photo:

No words, explanation above photo.

8th Photo:

No words, explanation above photo.