a wisp and a wisk...

woke up this morning to a tiny curl of fog in this entire big valley, almost like a ghost unfurling and traveling the valley floor, breathing in the beauty of fall...




time to put my lemons to good use, i tried a new martha recipe where you bake the soufflé in the myer lemons... nice idea, but not practical, my myers are smooth and soft, not up for the show, most collapsed when baking... they would be much better in a nice firm eureka, plus my eurekas grow the size of footballs, so much more to enjoy~

california cornucopia...

all fresh from the garden, a casual fall abundant table~




































thank you susan for hosting our tablescapes, stop by her blog and enjoy the others~

my daybook

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW...

sunny cool morning

I AM THINKING...

how lucky i am in this lifetime...

I AM THANKFUL FOR...

all we have.

FROM THE KITCHEN...

did nothing but make soup all week, i brought home lots of fruit, maybe just desserts all week?

I AM WEARING...

jammies, i always wake early and go online in the dark.

I AM CREATING...

nothing quite yet, but feeling so much more like the old me again~

I AM GOING...

to the vets tomorrow, i am convinced gracie is going to have great blood work. she has really turned the corner and i am ecstatic. she eats on her own, not enough, but none of my other healthy cats eat as much as required by my vet for liver recovery...

noel is unchanged, i have been lax with her treatment since she is so fearful of being forced fed i can't do it to her... she has a rare conditioned reflex which makes it almost impossible to treat her...

I AM READING...

mennonite in a little black dress, it is not wowing me like the reviews of hilarious, i think the more you read, the more jaded you become... remind next time i pick up a book quoted as hilarious to think twice...

i had ordered 30 books from library months ago, they seam to all be arriving this week, i was like 86th in line and its funny to me how they are all showing up at the same time, look forward to reading crazy for the storm and born to run next.

I AM HOPING...

we have a secure future... changes are in the works.

I AM HEARING...

cheryl wheeler since you've been gone.

AROUND THE HOUSE...

i did some puppy repairs, staining the furniture they chewed through, replaced a chair they turned to kindle, didn't get to the wall and wallpaper repairs since we bot the mule as a fun outdoor diversion and took the dogs for a hike yesterday instead.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS...

watching my pets recover from near death.

fall days, i ADORE this time of year, it truly makes my heart sing, the low soft light with the ambers, reds and orgs and emerald green grass on the warm brown dirt... i honestly can cry with joy i love it all so much, day after day of the same magnificent beauty.

picking fruit from my garden, no matter what season the abundance always humbles me... it doesn't get better any to me then to walk with a basket and pruning sheers.

A FEW PLANS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK...

not sure yet, i feel gracie is on the road to a full recovery, i pray her blood test agrees with my sentiments. noel needs attention still, but i feel like i can take back part of my days again and maybe get in some gardening this week.

PICTURE THOUGHT...

i have had an nbf for many years, thru highs and lows she has always be a constant, every year we exchange boxes of fun, hers is getting packed up today, but i have already been delighted beyond belief...







~thank you my divine miss m~

*this idea comes from a simple woman's daybook. i enjoy once a week quietly reflecting on my week...

YEEHAW!

we bot a mule! tessie, yep thats our new gal, and i am green with envy all that she can haul home for me~ today i sauntered outside and gathered pomegranates, persimmons, red delicious and gravenstien apples, key limes, limes and myers lemons, for the first time EVER, i did not have to haul them home back UP STAIRS, nope scott backed tessie up the steep hills and met me and we rode her home~












meet tessie, you didn't think i would make a real mule work my land did ya? see how steep the hill is, the dogs couldn't even sit in the seats, they slid off... but we did manage to give them a ride home, dang that mule is fun!

four hours...

yesterday i took a 4 hour garden walk with the dogs, a bit of their antics~



















while they romped and played all around me, i walked the whole garden camera in hand. i only walk our other hill in fall when the rattlesnakes are hiberbnating, a few shots are looking back at the landscaped gardens and our lower garage where i work with my iris. fall will peak in my garden in late november, i still have iris, roses and dahlias going strong. my lions were covered in ivy, when i trimed them free, the dogs began barking at them...







a little 60 pic slide show of my morn~

brie and green chile soup

with mini grape cluster bread...














saute

onion
celery
butter
flour

add

chicken stock
cream
brie
grn chiles

my daybook

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW...

pitch black, but i am guessing hot and sunny on tap again...

I AM THINKING...

not much, new day and eager to get outside to garden, then read.

I AM THANKFUL FOR...

the nice weekend we had.

FROM THE KITCHEN...

we bbq steaks last night and i have 2 extras for today, no need to fuss in the kitchen tonight.

I AM WEARING...

jammies, i always wake early and go online in the dark.

I AM CREATING...

just gave our study a little makeover with a new bed, bedding and nightstands. was fun, could use some new nick knacks, i decorated the room 20 years ago, it is like time had frozen...

I AM GOING...

preferably nowhere but the garden this week...

I AM READING...

finished kathy griffin's book, really enjoyed her honesty. started her fearful symmetry last night, new book by the time travelers wife author, so far really enjoy it.

I AM HOPING...

we can save gracies life, we have a nice rhythm now to her 7 meds, iv and force feeding 3x's a day...

I AM HEARING...

the fan, fountain and indy sneezing like an elephant.

AROUND THE HOUSE...

we spent the weekend shampooing carpets and fixing up the study for us to sleep in, i prefer it because its cold compared to our bedroom. i have almost renamed the study the menopause room, but not fully committed to that...

we need to start to tackle all the puppy damage, but they are still monsters so perhaps premature still...

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS...

i enjoy decorating, was fun hunting and gathering for the study face lift.

A FEW PLANS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK...

gracie comes first, but trying to cut my time by being more efficient with her care. would love to only have to feed her 3x's a day, wait, make that 2 and i would ecstatic!

bills, errands and i didn't step foot outside to garden for the last 7 days with almost daily vet appointments and round the clock care. she is still in poor health but i compared her records to a cat i treated with this before and gracie is better off then addison was, so i have high hopes of reversing this. it took 4 weeks to get addison well, we have our work cut out for us...

meanwhile, i still have tons of iris to move and plant~

PICTURE THOUGHT...

the garden is calling my name~



*this idea comes from a simple woman's daybook. i enjoy once a week quietly reflecting on my week...

whats the matter, cat got your tongue?

~don't forget to check out food with style and see lots of halloween goodies~