The Garden at Christmas

I never thought I'd be writing a post about my garden at Christmas but who would have ever anticipated this bizarre weather we've had? 

It's 60 degrees with a misty rain right now, and the clouds are sitting on the mountain peaks all around giving everything a very ethereal look. 

I'm glad to have the day off to putter around my little house taking care of some chores before heading back to work tomorrow. 

It was a lovely holiday!

And tomorrow is back to reality. And winter shall truly arrive. 

Our little reprieve is over. 

This warmer weather meant I could spend a little time in my garden this weekend, which was terrific - what a bonus! I have to say, even though we just got finished with Christmas and yet to have our first real snowfall I've already got spring fever. 

That's not good. There's a long winter ahead of us. 

Looking at the garden from a distance there's not much to see. But when you are a true gardener you notice the smallest little buds - everything is more significant. 

Like the new growth on the roses by the veggie garden - I feel terrible that these tender baby shoots are going to be frozen in another 24 hours. 

The Parsley is still going strong - I should probably harvest this today.  Last chance for fresh herbs right out of the garden this season, I believe!

Another week of this weather and I would have been able to harvest fresh Chives as well. 

I'm still concerned about what is going to happen with my Garlic. The shoots are so big now, this green growth is surely going to be killed within a few days....what will happen to the bulbs below?

The Strawberry plants continue to send out new growth. Since I have them in pots I will stash them away for the winter in the garden cottage and hope for the best. 

The Violas continue to amaze me - they have bloomed continuously since April - 8 months of straight bloom. That's unheard of up here on the mountain top!

I'm not complaining, that's for sure. It's been nice to have something bright and colorful to look at since we have no snow sparkling on the branches. 

Even the Dandelions are blooming in the grass - and I have to say they look pretty cheerful, like a little spot of sunshine in the December garden!

I doubt we'll see any more flowers for the season - the snow is due to start tomorrow, along with a half inch of ice. 

I'm glad I had this last weekend to play in the dirt. 

It smelled like Spring. 

The Calm After.....

A Belated Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my lovely readers out there!!  

I have been missing in action for a couple of days....hard to avoid when I've been up to my eyeballs with last minute Christmas preparations. 

And it was all worth it. 

A good time was had by all.....

....except these poor little colorful stuffed critters that met their demise within minutes!

Christmas is a busy, busy time in my little mountaintop home as it is for many - cooking a big feast for my whole extended family always keeps me hopping on the big day. 

Potatoes were peeled out on the garden swing on this 60 degree Christmas. No complaints there!

Prime Rib was smothered in minced garlic from the garden and roasted to perfection. 

Tummies were happy, cocktails were flowing, and there was laughter throughout my new home. 

Just as it should be on such a glorious day. 

When all is said and done I find such peace at the end of the evening when the kitchen is tidied, the dishwasher running, and the house is calm and somewhat clean again. 

And I can take a seat at the end of a long day and just spend time with my sister, catching up on what's going on in her life. That's what the holidays are truly about, after all. 

After a much needed sleep I awoke to a beautiful sky and much colder temps than yesterday. The forecast finally calls for some snow on Monday evening....we'll see what happens but I'm hoping!

The local ski resorts are really suffering this season and need some cold temps in order to blow snow - although some natural snow at this point would be even better. 

We didn't have our White Christmas but perhaps a White New Year's is coming our way?

Fingers crossed. 

Meanwhile, I'm heading to the garden to do a few more chores in preparation for the coming winter. 

After all, it has to come sometime. 

Bear Butts and Bare Trees

I saw my bear the other night. More specifically, I saw his butt. His bear butt. His bare bear butt. His big bare bear butt. He was heading across the road into the apple orchard a few properties down from mine. I'm thinking from the....ahem....deposits he left in my driveway that he eats a LOT of apples. 

Anyway. 

His butt is not the only thing that's bare around here. It poured out of the heavens all night last night along with very heavy winds - the combination took down most of the leaves that were still clinging on to the trees. 

This morning the sun was shining beautifully and it was weirdly warm. I let my fire die for the day so I can clean out the fireplace. Tonight it will be in the 30's. Very strange weather. 

I grabbed my camera to take a few photos of the bare trees around my property to share with all of you. 

I have a view of the mountains from three sides of my house now. No complaints there!

Most of the undergrowth died with the recent frosts - I can see way off into the woods now. Which is great for spotting a bear. Not that I want to spot a bear....

Remember how this tree looked just recently?  Well the leaves are just about completely gone now. And the pile of leaves that was underneath it? Also gone. I came home Monday and found my sweetie sitting in a pile of sweat and leaves. He spent his afternoon blowing them onto a tarp and dragging them into the woods. He's such a honey. I might just have to keep him!

My resident deer loves to hang out behind this shed. In the spring I think she had a fawn bedded down in there - she would let me get fairly close to her but then would hiss at me. I never had a deer hiss at me before! It was a little frightening, not gonna lie. 

There are lots of leaves left to take care of back here. When they are done coming down they will be mulched into the lawn so they can break down to feed the lawn. Eco-fertilizer. 

Any pots that had any sort of a flower still blooming are now gathered around my garden cottage. Many pots were dumped and stored inside and there was some more work done around the foundation this week, again by my sweetie (see - a keeper!) but that's a post for another day. Making progress on the fall cleanup, bit by bit!

I can see right into the horses' paddock now. I think they may have been in their little barn this morning - the paddock was a giant mud puddle after all the rains. 

The front trees are just about done also - which means a better view of the mountain but also a view of the road. And the folks driving by can see my house now, if they bother to look for it. 

The sunshine is gone now and the rain has returned with a vengeance. 

Like I said, weird weather. 

What's it like in your neck of the woods? 

The Wildlife Outside My Window - Good and Bad

I love the wildlife outside my window! Even when I was living in the city I had a little bird feeder and a bird bath outside my bedroom window. I took such delight in that little bit of wildlife that would come eat the treats I would put out for them.

On that note, most of these photos were taken through the window so excuse any fuzziness.....

I felt sorry for the little critters when I moved away, as I do with each move. They get used to having regular meals provided for them and then all of a sudden....nothing.

Well, that's not happening again since I've decided I'm never ever moving again. Ever.

I love looking out and seeing all the critters, large and small, that bring me such joy. Like my little chipmunk friend.  And my neighbors' horses, seen so clearly out my bedroom window now that the trees are getting bare. They are my favorite neigh-bors - ahem. Sorry. 

Not all the creatures bring me joy and some of the wildlife up here on the mountain can be quite scary. 

Like the coyotes. And the bobcats. And the snakes. Ewwww, I hate snakes. And the skunks. And the porcupines. 

And the bears. They are the scariest of all. 

And I had my first real visit from one last night....well, first time in this house. 

I went to put the peanuts out for the birds this morning and one of my feeders was missing. I found the feeder pole on the stairs and a chunk of wood torn from the deck railing where the bear had climbed the stairs, reached over the gate, and tore off the feeder pole. And took the feeder. 

He carried it down by the driveway and broke it to bits. Destroyed it. Grrrrrrrrrr!

It's not the first time I've had a bear take the feeders....not in a long shot. It's just the first time in my new house. 

Crap. I was really hoping they didn't know where I lived!

We gathered the pieces and my sweetie will figure out what parts I'm missing and I'll contact the company for replacements. This company is fabulous, they truly stand behind their product. 

Funny that it's a squirrel buster isn't it? I wish they  made a bear buster! 

It doesn't exist. Not that I know of. If anyone knows of a way to truly keep the bears away from the feeders please share! 

I'll have to bring the feeders into the garage every night before dusk now. Until I'm off his regular feeding route again. Or he goes into hibernation. 

The bear at my last house didn't hibernate in the winter. I had to bring the feeders in every single night, all year. It's irritating to have this extra chore every evening but for me, watching the birds outweighs the annoyance. 

I found a replacement in the garage, installed the feeder pole again, and waited. It wasn't long before we were back in business!

The Nuthatch is coming for the suet. He'd like to get to the peanuts but the Blue Jays won't let him. 

This will do for now!

This is the first time I've seen the Mourning Doves on the flat feeder. 

I honestly wasn't all that sure they were bright enough to figure out there was seed in there! My sweetie calls them the Doofus Birds. He's kind of right....but don't tell him I said so!

The Blue Jays have been regular visitors for a while now but this is the first time I ever captured three on there at once - usually they are too busy fighting!

It didn't take the Gold Finches long to figure out how to work the replacement feeder. Smart little pipsqueaks!

The Dark Eyed Junco comes around looking for tidbits on the ground. Although they are primarily ground feeders they will come to the feeders as well on occasion. 

The Finches like this little thistle feeder outside the kitchen window. I really enjoy being at the sink and watching them up close! 

This poor little Mourning Dove was trying to stay warm on Sunday morning when the temps were in the teens - I felt so bad for him! Look how he fluffed up his feathers to try and stay warm! Yup, that was snow on the railing. That was this cold blustery day.

I love watching the antics of the squirrels. They are such goofy little critters! This guy looks like he has ants in his pants waiting for the other squirrel to have his fill. 

Waiting not so patiently for his turn at the feeder.....he's looking a little anxious now. 

And he gave up. Perhaps the Blue Jay bullied him away. 

The Blue Jays are ganging up on the squirrel but he doesn't seem to be bothered at all. 

Getting a little impatient now....."Come on, you've had enough - it's our turn!"

What kind of wildlife do you see out your window? 

Things That Brighten My Day

Some mornings it's just hard to shake off a "mood" - this morning was one of those mornings. 

My older dog has this terrible habit of waking the house before dawn. She wakes my younger daughter first (she sleeps in her room) and after she gets out for her morning business she runs up the stairs and sits outside my door. Whining. Crying. Whimpering. It's beyond annoying and I don't know how to break her of the habit. If my daughter doesn't let her up the stairs, she sits inside my daughter's room scratching at the door and whining and being annoying. Either way, we don't get enough sleep. Ever.

And after a while it wears on you. Big time.

Today was one of those days. 

My older daughter is traveling (again!) - this time she's on her way to Egypt via Istanbul and I can't help but worry about her. So, it was a night of tossing and turning for me, and there will be many nights like that until she returns safely on the 23rd. Say a prayer.

I'm tired. I need a really good night's sleep.

Today I'm going to post some simple things in my world that always make me smile. In the hopes that they will brighten both my day and yours.

And I know they will. 

Autumn morning light on the deck - best place ever for my morning coffee

My sweetie got exactly 3 flowers on his hydrangeas all season....and he cut them and brought them to me!

Weekend mornings deserve cappucino

The morning light hits the green bubbly glass knobs in the kitchen and makes them glow

The best thing about my dog waking me up before dawn

A housewarming gift from a friend - it makes me smile every time I see it

My little monkey always manages to find the sunshine

The foliage in my back woods

My evening sanctuary

My old girl who won't let me sleep - she loves her new toy - it's hard to stay mad at that face 

Waiting for a party

My home, my haven

The blue jays come in one after the other now for their peanuts and entertain us to no end

The morning sun hits the trees right outside the kitchen windows and they light up the room

My little monkey is a big Giants fan!