New Year, Fresh Start

Happy New Year to my beautiful readers! I'm not even sure how many of you are still out there, my posts have been so sporadic since the start of the pandemic. 

Home Sweet Home

My heart goes out to all those folks in Texas that have lost loved ones, and also to those that have lost their homes.

 

The loss of a life is devastating. The loss of a pet, equally so for those of us who count our pets as our family.

 

And the loss of a home is without a doubt also a tragic thing.

Cozy Nights At Home

Life is busy, no doubt. People talk of the lazy days of summer and I'm envious. 

Lazy days? You have got to be kidding me. In what lifetime?

It's Good To Be Home!

It's lovely to get away for a few days, isn't it? 

But I think it's even lovelier to come home. 

The Things I Don't Show You

I have shared parts of my home, both indoors and out, in various blog posts but usually it's the 'pretty' side of my life. 

Today I'm sharing the utilitarian part of my deck. 

Coming Home

My favorite part of the day is coming home. I finish up at the office, drive the short trip home up my beautiful country road, and pull into my garage. 

I'm home. 

I put my key into the lock at the kitchen door and I hear the pups raising a racket downstairs. 

A Happy Home

Your home should be a place where you feel cozy and happy. When you look around you should see people and things that make you smile. 

I admit freely that I am a huge homebody. There's really no place I'd rather be than in my cozy home, or wandering around my property in my country gardens. 

Perhaps it's because I don't have enough time to spend there....we have many social commitments that keep me away as well as that dreaded 4 letter word....WORK. 

I suppose its the quality of the time I spend in my home that's most important, not the quantity of time. 

As I drank my morning coffee I looked around from my perch on the chair closest to the fire and smiled at the place I am so blessed to call home. 

And I did what I am so often compelled to do these days....I grabbed the camera and started capturing the simple beauty I'm surrounded with, so I could share with all of you, my dear readers. 

I was first drawn to the side dining room window. I have been checking the Fiddleleaf  Fig daily to see if there are any signs of new growth since I moved it to this new location. It's certainly happy! I see a new leaf has emerged, which is a great sign. 

While I was there I watched the woodpecker on the suet....for once, she didn't fly away as soon as I went near the window with  my camera. 

Can you see the giant icicle that's also on the suet? It's not stopping the birds from enjoying their little treat, thankfully. 

The sun was lovely streaming through the dining room windows this morning. I truly love this little dining room, it's just such a warm and welcoming space.  

Taking a peek out the other dining room window I spotted this little red squirrel making his way to the flat feeder. 

I caught him mid jump - he's like a flying squirrel!

He made it safely and happily sat on the feeder stuffing his little cheeks with peanuts and seeds. 

I throw a pile of peanuts in the shell onto that feeder every morning along with a cup of mixed seeds. The flat feeder is also a handy spot to put any leftover popcorn or stale bread - the critters eat it all. 

This little guy made his way home with me when I went off the mountain the other night. It's a Money Tree or Guiana Chestnut. Wouldn't it be great if it really grew money? I love the form of this little tree, and the braided trunk. I've never had one of these so it will be interesting to see if it will do well in my home. 

For now, I have him on the bookcase in the living room, but I'm not sure he will stay there. All I know is, he insisted on coming home with me. I kept putting him back on the shelf and he kept jumping back into my cart when my head was turned. I had no choice but to bring him home - what else could I do?

This little Poinsettia is quite happy on the kitchen counter. I don't think I've ever had a Poinsettia that lasted so well after Christmas. I have two others that are still alive in the guest room but are dropping leaves like crazy. Not this one!

Just look at that Pothos trailing down the side of my china hutch - wow! I think he loves the sunshine in the dining room almost as much as I do! 

This Pothos has been in this little rooster pot for years. Probably ten years or so. And it has never been happy....until now! It loves this spot in my kitchen on top of my mail organizer. It gets lots of sun from the skylight in the kitchen and it is just thriving!

The same with this plant - I have had it for eons. I always thought it hated me! I believe this is known as an "Arrowhead Plant" from my research online. I don't even remember where I got it but I have had it in so many locations and it always survived but never flourished. Until now. 

It seems that the houseplants and critters are all quite happy in and around my little home. 

Me, too. Out of the many places I've lived, this home is by far my favorite. 

Which is just as well since I'm never leaving. 

I'm home to stay. 

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