HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - ODDS AND BODS FOR OCTOBER 25TH, 2026

“Good Morning Sunshine! 

“How are you today? I hope all is well where you are.”

I found my imaginary home.

It’s chilly outside. Time to light the fire. I love this cosy room. 

Here are three images of pretty art that I enjoy sharing with you. The moon with…

friends.

I thought this was very cute, two friends having a chat.

A few recipes:

I am sure many have a favorite salsa recipe.  Hubby not only found but made this one and it was delicious. We shared an avocado and put a spoonful into the cavity after we took the seed out. Most of the time we cut up raw veggies and used it as a dip. He advises to pay particular attention to how many seconds on that blender, so that you get it to your desired consistency. 

Salsa - Ingredients: 4 plum tomatoes - 2 Jalapeños, deseeded - 1 medium onion -1 full bunch of cilantro (called coriander in some parts of the world) - Juice of half a lemon - 1 to 2 garlic cloves - Salt, a good amount hubby says (depending on if it is good for your health or your taste).  Instructions: 1. Finely dice all the ingredients before putting them in a blender.  2. Add everything to a blender and blend until you reach your preferred texture.  3. Taste and adjust the salt if needed. 

Cheeseburger Soup - Farmhouse Favorites - Ingredients: 5 pieces

of bacon (cut into small pieces) - 1 pound of ground beef - 1/4 cup

butter - 1/4 cup onion, diced - 2 sticks celery, diced - 1/2 teaspoon 

minced garlic - 6 tablespoons flour - 4 cups chicken broth - 1 cup

heavy cream - 1 pound Yukon potatoes, peeled and diced small, and

partially cooked in boiling water (I add this because it doesn’t mention

this soon enough in directions, in my humble opinion) - 1-1/2 cups 

sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated - salt and pepper to taste. (Message on left: 

Hearty, creamy and packed with all the flavor of your favorite 

cheeseburger!) Directions: 1. Start by browning your ground beef,

 draining and set aside.  2. In a separate pot, brown brown your chopped 

bacon until no longer pink. Add butter, onion, celery and garlic and let 

it sauté for about 5 minutes.  3. Next, add in your flour and stir into the 

bacon and veggies until combined.  4. Then semi softened potatoes, 

chicken broth, heavy cream, 1 cup of cheese and ground beef into the

pot.  5. Stir well so that it thickens, then let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

6. Top with more Cheddar cheese, salt and pepper before serving. 

I am going to keep this recipe for when we have guests. We only ever eat pears straight from the fruit bowl, but this looks great for those special occasions.

Baked Pears with Goat Cheese, Honey and Cranberries - Intedients: 

4 pears, halved - 1/2 cup of goat cheese - 1/2 cup cranberries 

2 tablespoons honey - 1 tablespoon olive oil - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  2. Place pears

Cut-side up in a baking dish.  3. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle cinnamon.

4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until tender.  5. Fill with goat cheese,

cranberries and walnuts.  6. Drizzle honey on top.  7. Bake 5 to 10 

minutes and serve warm. 

I like these too and it would be nice to keep this recipe for those same guests over the holidays, at least for those with no nut allergies.

Maple Vanilla Candied Pecans - Ingredients: 2 cups pecans - 1/4 cup

maple syrup - 1 teaspoon vanilla - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon - Pinch of salt 

Directions: Toss pecans with maple, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Spread

On baking sheet. Roast at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

I have four words for you today, and the first three are to do with the moon.  

Selenophile - (noun) - a person who loves the moon.

Moonglade - (noun) - moon-glade - the reflection of moonlight on 

a body of  water.

ZMoonbroch - (noun) - a halo round the moon which presages an

approaching storm.

And then there is this.

“Akiramenai” - origin (Japanese phrase) - Meaning: Until I get

there, I won’t give up. When things are moving slowly, remember

that each step matters. The door won’t open for someone who rushes,

but it will for someone who keeps knocking.

Wise words.

Here is a quote that is a favorite of mine. “We are the leaves of one branch, 

the drops of one sea, the flowers of one garden - Jean Baptiste Henry Lacordaire.

The Seasons Inside a Person - Not every winter is cold. Some people

carry it behind their smiles. Not every spring is filled with flowers.

Sometimes it begins with the day someone chooses to hope again.

There are people with summers in their laughter…warm enough for

Strangers to feel at home. And there are people who wear Autumn

so beautifully, letting go without making a sound. We spend our 

lives looking for the perfect season…only to discover that every

heart is learning how to survive its own weather. So be gentle. You

never know what season someone is living through - Aurelune - A

little universe of words, silence and souls. 

May someone always walk beside you. 

And remember…because we often forget when it comes to ourselves and need a reminder…

of this very important message.

Never forget how amazing you are, for you are worthy and you are loved.

And so ends another positivity post.

Thanks for visiting and I 

hope your day is a great one.

(Thank you Pinterest for today’s inspiration.) 

HAPPY SUNDAY, HAPPY NOVEMBER EVERYONE - FALL LEAVES AND PINECONES

"As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colours enough to paint the beautiful things I see."

~Vincent van Gogh~

"Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go."

~Author Unknown~

"It's the first day of Autumn! A time of hot chocolate mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings and, best of all, leaping into leaves!"

~Winnie the Pooh~

"Fall leaves are not lifeless but rather appear to dance in the wind."

~Author Unknown~

"Meet me under the falling leaves."

~Author Unknown~

"Love the trees until their leaves fall off, then encourage them to try again next year."

~Author Unknown~

"For anyone who lives in the oak-and-maple area of New England, there is a perennial temptation to plunge into a purple sea of adjectives about October."

~Hal Borland~

And last one.

"If only Alexa could rake the leaves."

~Author unknown~

Those of you who have followed me for a while, will recognize the back deck with our regular kissing bunnies and the blue stone birds on the water dish. The crows are really going to have something to complain about today as it is filled to the brim with leaves. 

The deck had not long been swept clean and that night I woke up to a lot of scratching on our bedroom window. Coming out of a deep sleep it scared the dickens out of me. Too much talk of Halloween? Probably! 

As I peeked outside between the blinds, the wind had picked up, and the branches just like the sound spindly little fingers would make, were crawling along the glass. It took me a while to go back to sleep. The scratching continued for another hour (mental note to get the branches trimmed again as soon as we can).

The next morning when I looked outside, I was greeted by a deck strewn with crepe myrtle leaves, pine needles and pinecones. We have both of these trees growing on the side of the house. The fir tree in particular is reaching up to the sky.

It seems a shame to throw away all those pinecones. Do any of you have any ideas as to what I could do with them? I am sure some of you out there might have an answer. 

I had a friend who years ago decided to 'cook' them for a while in her oven, or was it the microwave? She had wanted to get rid of any larvae that might be inside them as she was going to make Christmas Wreathes. I found this out afterwards. Her oven/microwave was never the same. All the food that came out of it had a pine taste that could not be gotten rid of and no amount of cleaning helped. Needless to say, she never did that again. 

I was also given a 'pinecone' Christmas tree by another good friend one year. It was very pretty but as soon as the heating warmed it up, I had literally hundreds of strange looking tiny bugs crawling out of it. Needless to say, it didn't last long after that. One of those big trash bags was thrown over it and it made its way into the trashcan. I was so sorry to do that to a friend's gift, but I seem to remember her telling me a while later after she asked me about it, that the one she made for her family did the same thing and had ended up in their trashcan too.

So, what would you do with all these pinecones? Maybe I should pop them in an outside container so that the birds and squirrels can nibble away and find the seeds inside. I've heard they like those.

Thanks for reading and 

I hope your day is a great one.

TODAY I BOUGHT A SMALL BOUQUET OF FRESH SUNFLOWERS...

to replace the ones (or one) I shared with you yesterday. I could probably have done with a couple of extra sunflowers, but these were the only ones that still looked fresh and would last longer than a day or two. But first of all, I wanted to share the gnomes, one of which I also shared yesterday. They are about three inches high.

I took a photo after each step. It was fun putting them all together. Here's the sunflower gnome again and also a pewter rabbit I have had for a few years. It's actually a candle snuffer. I picked it up on a whim several years ago. 

Its body is hollow which you place over the lit candle. The handle is in the shape of a bunch of carrots. Again, nothing to do with Fall but I keep it out all year round just because it's one of my little animal treasures. We don't use it very often.  

The bird is dressed like a Pilgrim and more for Thanksgiving (next month), but it's nice to keep him out for a while... 

the same for the lady Pilgrim. Both have been around for a few years now. I picked up the salt and pepper shakers the same time as the gnomes not so long ago.

The container in the shape of a pumpkin I used as a vase for the sunflowers and baby's breathe. That's the lid you can see with the golden stem. Years ago it came with a bouquet of flowers. Not wanting to throw it out, it is carefully tucked away until needed.

The table is newish. We bought it just before our visitors arrived earlier on in the year and happily was on sale. We had a round table and the lazy suzan fit better on it. It twirls around when you need to reach for certain items after the table is set for a meal. The old round table had been with us for just over 30 years, the same for the chairs, and all were decidedly worse for ware, so it was time to get something new. It's a bit too big for just the two of us but it will come in useful when we have a get together. We were glad for it when our family were here. I am missing the napkins and cutlery but you get a good idea of the flowers at least.

Anyhow, that's the centerpiece I put together and I'm hoping the sunflowers will stay in the stores until Thanksgiving is over next month. Something new, I've discovered how much I like baby breath again. It's been a long time since I bought any.

Last one, a collage and that’s all for today’s post.

Thanks for stopping by. 

A happy Friday and weekend to you all!

THERE IS NO WIFI…

 

 “There’s no WiFi in the forest, but I promise you'll find a better connection.”

~Author Unknown~

WHAT CAN I SAY...

What can I say that I have not said before?

So I'll say it again.

The leaf has a song in it,

Stone is the face of patience,

Inside the river there is an unfinishable story

and you are somewhere in it

and it will never end until it ends.

Take your busy heart to the art museum and the 

chamber of commerce,

but take it also to the forest.

The song you heard singing in the leaf 

when you were a child

is singing still.

I am of years lived, so far, seventy-four,

and the leaf is singing still.

What Can I Say?

by

Mary Oliver

Mary Jane Oliver (September 10, 1935 – January 17, 2019) was an American poet who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and the National Book Award in 1992. She found inspiration for her work in nature and had a lifelong habit of solitary walks in the wild. Her poetry is characterized by wonderment at the natural environment, vivid imagery, and unadorned language. In 2007, she was declared the best-selling poet in the United States.

HAPPY FALL

I didn’t realize until I checked the date, that the 22nd was the official first day of Fall here. I am a little bit late but I found this touch of whimsy on Pinterest and knew I was going to share it today.

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - THE SQUIRRELS HAD A PARTY

It was wild!

Nope, we're not doing word of the day today.

The American Robins flew in to check out what all the commotion was about.

The Mockingbird turned up for a few seconds.

The Robins turned up with friends and had their own party. 

Everyone was all of a tweeter.

The inanimate object was by this time standing upright and wasn't talking, Kissing Bunnies were okay too. Big Bunny is still staying away, but this little guy turned up. Everyone was keeping a close eye on him. He told everyone he was innocent and that he didn't know anything.

I have noticed how you all tip toe and jump over those leaves. We keep sweeping them up and they keep falling. That's why they call it "Fall!" 

Tell them they have very good fluffy tails. They would be great for sweeping. All they have to do is waddle backwards! 

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

Have a great weekend everyone 

and thanks for stopping by for another whimsical tale.