Cottage by the Sea

Happy February.

2012-02-01T12:29:00.000-05:00

February has dawned with temperatures in the 60's. Spring like. A chill in the air , a jacket necessary but a far cry from the deep snow of the past couple of years.
Buds are springing to life in places and, of course, if it decides to become colder quickly, they will die and spring will not happen, fruit trees will bear no fruit this summer and it could be a disaster.
Let's hope it is not.

There could be an early spring and I suppose the groundhogs will let us know tomorrow which is ground hog day.
The ground hog family that lives under my backyard shed is lead by Mr. Beaver. That is his official name. He received that name the day he and my daughter had a run in at the backyard.
She was returning from school, books in arms, her school uniform all bunched up under her bulky coat, her legs freezing in the cold she rounded the corner of the house that meets the back yard.
There was Mr. Beaver enjoying the left overs of a ziti dinner that had been tossed in the garbage that morning. His little hands held a goodly helping of it and his little face was smeared with sauce.
He yelped, she yelped, they ran their respective ways and a tenuous friendship was born that day.

Two years ago now, Mr. Beaver took a wife and 3 little groundhogs emerged that

spring to roll and romp around in the backyard much to our ooo's and aww's.

So the backyard menagerie consists of 4 chipmunk families, one under the back porch, a few others in various places, one groundhog family, one skunk who passes by occasionally to delight us with scent. A fox that likes to scream and howl, and a great owl who serenades us nightly in summer and hordes of raccoons that come and go.

My disposal unit is my backyard where I toss scraps, old apples not eaten, potato peels, lettuce and cabbage leaves etc. They are quickly eaten by one and all.
I am sure the animals have even erected a neon sign on the trail behind the house to point out our al fresco buffet.

Tiny Dormouse

2012-01-27T03:25:00.000-05:00

This is just so sweet I had to share it.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Chalk Paint

2012-01-24T12:36:00.000-05:00

Chalk paint gives a lime-washed look to painted surfaces. If you like the look of old fashioned plaster walls you would like chalk paint. It is also nice to use on damaged furniture as it's thick texture covers a multitude of sin with no preparation beforehand. It will even adhere to varnished surfaces.
If you paint cabinets with it you can seal it with several coats of a good wax. But if you like a bit of sheen to whatever you paint a coat of wax is essential. They say you can only use Briwax or Annie Sloan soft wax but I don't know really.
Chalk paint, like old fashioned milk paint, eliminates the need to sand and strip furniture. The stripping part can be dangerous to health so, I think using chalk paint is a great alternative.
You can buy chalk paint ready made from Annie Sloane but it is expensive.
You can also make your own. HERE is one way to do it using calcium carbonate. Notice the gorgeous job she did on the vanity!

Here is another 'recipe' using plaster of Paris or non sanded grout:
2 parts flat or egg shell paint to 1 part plaster of Paris or non sanded grout. Another recipe calls for baking soda!
You can use soft bees wax to wax the piece . You can lightly sand before waxing also.

You can use chalk paint on walls, doors , furniture and in kid's rooms it is great for their art work.
Some people even paint their refrigerator doors and use that as a message board.
I am going to paint my bedroom furniture using it, if I get up the energy that is.

This video shows how to mix paint using the baking soda but you can follow the recipe to use the calcium carbonate, grout or plaster.
She does a very distressed piece , which is not my taste at all, but it is a good example of how to mix the paint.

Friday

2012-01-20T14:58:00.002-05:00

People are asking why the door is in the middle of the wall in the first place.
Well it is not my idea and I had no say in planning out the place. so.. there you go. I certainly would have preferred to have that extra 3 feet of space for the room.

I explained in a previous post what it is for. I am not thrilled with it, but that's how things go and you work with what you have.
I am going to cover it somehow , probably with a cabinet, because it is just not nice to have there and I need storage space also.

I have been busy writing, planning, getting ready to paint some furniture with homemade chalk paint and sorting through things to pack.
I was also terribly tired this week and had a tough time getting anything done really so posting was light as was visiting.
I hope to be back in the swing of things soon.

Have a lovely weekend.

The Mysterious Door

2012-01-17T16:40:00.000-05:00

What is behind that door!
The apartment has one bedroom , a sitting area and an office and is made from a two car garage.
Unfortunately they needed a bit of storage area so when the rooms were built 3 feet of space was reserved for storage.What you see in the picture is part of one side of what was the garage.
I could really use that space in the room but, it is what it is and maybe I will be glad for the storage too.
I would have preferred the extra 3 feet of space in the room.
The door leads to a tiny set of stairs and a 3 foot wide by 10 foot long piece of unfinished garage.
The stairs are there because the floor in the garage was built up a few feet off the ground to make the apartment floor.
That "closet" has this door you see in the photo on one side and the outside garage door on the other. And, as I said, 3 feet of space in between that will store boxes, etc.

I don't have a private entrance because that would have cost more than the budget allowed, no private bath either .. same reason. I will use the house bath and kitchen. Just no money for anything else.
So this was a two car garage and now its partly what you see here.

The TV will go on the wall with the door. I will probably disguise the door either as a window with curtains or etc. and place short bookcases (Ikea's 31 1/2"wide by 41 3/4" tall Billy bookcases in white) along that whole wall. The TV will go in the far left corner on the bookcases.
I think that will give me book storage, etc and a place for the TV.
As I said before if I use tall bookcases, though they would cover over the door completely it might make the room look even smaller than it already is and then I have a problem as to where to place the TV. With shorter cases it can just perch on the top. I suppose I could put one tall bookcase in the middle and two shorter ones on either side but that seems odd to me.
I will have to photoshop that and see how it goes.

Rainy here and warm again after a couple of days of very cold weather.

Windy Weekend Introduction

2012-01-13T13:01:00.000-05:00

It is really windy today. Temps have dropped into the high 30's and it has been raining all night as we head on into the weekend.
I didn't get to post this week as much as I would have liked to or get around to visit as I like either.
The enjoyment of sitting with a cup o'tea and reading blogs is something I miss when time gets away from me and I just can't find the time. There is a cut off feeling.
I have been photoshopping some designs for my little living room and getting things ready for moving so time has been at a premium as I am doing it all by myself and still have other things I have to do too. So, I will get around to visit.
One of my design challenges is a door smack dab in the middle of the room. In order to create some storage area that was necessary. Well, maybe not but it is what it is.
I have been wondering what to do to cover or disguise that door. I also have to accomodate my birthday gift of a 32 inch HD tv in that small area and trust me when I tell you it is small.
One of the ideas was a bookcase, low or high across the back wall covering over the door and providing space for books of which I have millions!
Problem with high shelves is that as the room was cut off to make a 3 ft deep closet for storage for the family, the wall ends at the window on one side. Meaning that if something is put on that wall going right across the wall, it will cut into part of the window , blocking light!
So I thought that lower shelves would work.

Door Mural

But if I put big bookcases in the office area, I could cover the door with a door mural , put mullions on the door to create a "French door" and then curtains around it and make it a faux window. This might not look bad and on Saturday night I will post some pictures of what I have come up with.
Knowing myself, in the end the room will probably never look like anything I am coming up with now.
C'est la vie!
Have a lovely weekend.

The Story Behind the Photo

2012-01-09T23:04:00.002-05:00

I had said I would post Monday afternoon.
Afternoon got later than I thought!
Here it is nonetheless.
There is a story behind this photo.
When I was standing looking out over the bay to the lighthouse, this bird kept walking in front of me and looking at me. He would even jump onto the rope railing and stare at me. He did everything but stand on his head.
He is a rather large seagull and hard to miss.
I walked around him, to the side of him, away from him but no matter where I went he would move to be in front of me.
I had been taking photos during the afternoon of the bay, my favorite subject, and he was there the entire time watching.
I wanted a long shot of the bay, but he just would not move out of the way,so, I took his portrait. He was happy and moved off and eventually left.
Did he want me to take his photo?
Well how can I know for sure as seagulls don't have a very large range of facial expressions. But it seems to me he got what he wanted!

2012-01-09T02:10:00.002-05:00

I will be posting Monday afternoon.
Zzzzzzz...

Weeks End

2012-01-06T15:12:00.000-05:00

I hope you have a lovely, happy weekend. It was a long and busy week for most and everyone needs time to rest and relax and restore.

Watching the Night

2012-01-03T18:34:00.001-05:00

It is late, or early--2A.M. as I sit on the back porch ignoring the chilly wind and damp air.
Before me stretches the forest. To the left the bay.
There is a clarity to the air in winter that brings every sound crisply to the ear.

The sound of the rain falling is different than it is in summer and when it snows, the flakes make a soft sound as they layer themselves upon ground.

The steady dripping of cold rain off the big red cedar falls into the small pond with a plink and a plunk. Deep beneath the chill surface Mr. Frog and Associates hibernate. Does he hear that sound echoing below?
The scent of that cedar is good and clear in it's own way. The chill night wind brings that along as well but not as pungent as in summer.

Wind is stirring the papery leaves left behind by autumn winds and their shaking and rattling wakes the cardinal in his cedar den. He fluffs his wings, calls for quiet and nestles back down to sleep the night away. Morning comes soon enough.

Great owl is up. Late night is no hindrance to him. He does not mind the crinkling swamp maple sounds. The plinking droplets are a reminder that a fresh drink is not far away. He 'whos' from high in the pines back in the forest. He did not go south with other birds. He has his soft cozy den for warmth even in the coldest of winters and he is satisfied to sit there and let me "who" back at him. Can he see me? His eyes are sharp as an eagle but he can hear me and I can hear him. We chat back and forth for a bit until he loses interest.

I am sleepy but in no hurry to leave.

January ...

2012-01-02T17:55:00.000-05:00

Snow storm last year that left us with over 2 feet

The first days of 2012 have had rainy nights. But I don't mind rainy nights as they can be cozy and don't you also love the reflection of lights on rainy streets?

Rain is better than snow I think.

After piles and piles of snow for the last many years, a warmer winter is just what the weatherman ordered and sunny days would trump it all!

My current obsession is learning about Bigfoot or Sasquatch since I heard a tape that sounded very much like some things I have heard.
I have begun to think there is something to it all. There are just too many people who see them and so many are credible and reliable.
The Panda and Gorilla were dismissed as myths and those who saw them were said to be perpetrating hoaxes for years and years. Not anymore. So you never know what might come about.

What do you think? Does any of that interest you?

Week's End

2011-12-30T16:31:00.006-05:00

To answer the questions I received about the China...
I have several sets of china for different foods and occasions.
This set is Royal Albert's Old Country Roses. Royal Albert's is part of Doulton china and now Wedgwood has combined with them.

After a week of hustle and bustle and worry and work, I hope your weekend is peaceful and lovely.
It will be a new year when I post once again but year in and year out old Barney the Light House, 200 feet tall stands like a soldier calling everyone safe home.
It isn't the 'new' we love so much as the old traditional and reliable things of life.
May they remain constant for you.

Chanukah Comes to an End

2011-12-28T23:43:00.001-05:00

Tonight is the last night of Chanukah. These were my lights filled with olive oil which gives a strong, steady, clean , clear light.

Driving back the Darkness

The song Maoz Tzur is sung. It means Rock of Ages which , of course , refers to God.

"Rock of ages, let our song
Praise Your saving power;
You, amid the raging foes,
Were our sheltering tower.
Furious they assailed us,
But Your arm availed us,
And Your word,
Broke their sword,
When our own strength failed us."

All set for dinner

Sitting Room, Tiny but Taking Shape

2011-12-27T00:53:00.002-05:00

You can click the photo to make it much larger.
Its tiny!!!! But it will take shape and will be nice, I hope.
The dimensions? 7 X 10. Yup, very little. But it can hold 3 chairs and bookcases and it is a design challenge.

Across the back wall with the door I will place a wall of bookcases which I hope to make look built in.
I am not sure yet if they will be high book cases or low ones. A picture or the tv can cover the rest of the door if I go with the short bookcases.

I would like to place an upholstered chaise lounge on a slant there where the mirror is or at least another chair with a nice foot rest.
There will be two brown wicker chairs on the other side. These are on loan for the time being but they are surprisingly comfortable.
That mirror is really pretty but does not show up here. I found it at Home Goods and paid 39.00 for it though it looks far more expensive. It will go over top of my old wood table there. Its recycled wood and painted.

These chairs are on loan. The cushions are from Pier 1 and are generously thick at almost 4 inches. They are cushy and soft but I think I will recover them in a neutral shade of fabric and might make cushions for the backs as well.
I got these in a chili red because I am basically always drawn to color. But originally I wanted a cream shade. So, now I will cover them and I can have them two ways.
I prefer upholstered chairs but these will do for now and as I said, are very comfortable.
The throw is just residing there for the moment and will be replaced with something else.

The table is from TJ Maxx on sale and I bought a thick round glass to cover it. The lamp is Home Goods and is a mercury glass "milk can".

The door will be repainted to blend in with the wall and the molding removed I think. The bookcases will cover it mostly and then the large flat screen will take up the rest of it.
If I go with tall cases, then it will be definitely covered but, I am just concerned with how they might be.

Here are two ideas for bookcases, one tall, the other about 32 inches in height and represented by the cream colored block against the back wall.
You will have to imagine that things actually fit!
Here are the three quicky photoshops:

What do you think?
The high is more expensive, while I can build the short built ins from ikea and crown molding.

Festivals and a Lovely Award.

2011-12-21T18:24:00.002-05:00

The Festival of Lights for 8 days. Lovely.. light, liberation, freedom, all in one and the food is great too.
Those who are Catholic , Mormon or Protestant will recognize the holiday as being mentioned in the new testament as a holiday that was kept way back then.
It is all about the re-dedication of the temple in Jerusalem after it was desecrated and the population brutalized by invaders.
Once the land was free again, the lamp was lit. It symbolizes light in the darkness.
So to those of you who celebrate Chanukah--- Chanukah sameach!

I was given a lovely award from Magnificent of Egregious called Leibster. Leibster is German for dearest and is given to blogs with less than 200 followers.
Here are the rules:
1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it you.
2. Reveal your five blogger picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Hope that people you have sent the award to forward it on to their favorite bloggers.

Well of course I thank Magnificent or Egregious.So sweet of her. Her blog is lovely by the way and she herself is a lovely young woman. Go over and see for yourself!
I will let 5 people know of course too and they can take the icon award and place it on their own blogs.

Thank you again.

I have not had a lot of time for blogging as I am in a tizzy doing things for the apartment and babysitting a bit, writing and doing some art work. It has left me precious little time for Cottage, but I do love to blog so I will be blogging regularly again soon. But the next week will be busy with get togethers and dinners each night.
Hugs...

Taking Shape..the new place

2011-12-12T14:45:00.004-05:00

This desk is a new one that I bought for the office in my new apartment. I gave up on redoing the old dresser/desk. Just too much work at this time.
The lamp is a find from Home Goods and is a Labrador Retriever on the base and a lovely oval beige silk shade.
Click on it to see it larger if you like.

The doors are where the furnace and water heater are. Yes, I wish it was a closet but this is a former 24 X 24 foot garage.
The door on the right wall is my bedroom.
The walls are painted a pale blue/gray by Glidden called Chilly Morning.

These are the two night stands I found at Home Goods. They are a bit more exotic than I would usually pick but I think they will go well in my bedroom. At least I am hoping they will.

I have put up new drapes and sheers in the bedroom. The drapes are a very pale blue faux silk called Rainwater.The sheers are white.
I need to purchase a wardrobe and perhaps a new dresser as the dresser I have may be too large for the little bedroom I will now have. 10 X 10 is a challenge to decorate but it can be done. We are spoiled in the world today anyway. There are people who have literally nothing. We have so much to be thankful for.

The closet in the room is so very tiny,much smaller than the old fashioned closets I have now. So I think it will be better to put top to bottom shelves inside for folded shirts, sweaters,pajamas etc and buy a nice wardrobe with a decent sized rod.
I am even toying with the idea of lining the little closet with some cedar. It is only 26 inches wide and though its 8 high inside, that is not a lot of space and so it might not cost too much to line it a bit with cedar and give added protection to the clothing from bugs. While it is small for a closet it would not be small for a bunch of lovely shelves at all. It would be quite spacious actually.

Ikea sells wardrobes and this one here seems nice. At first I was not fond of the clear doors. But on thinking it over they might actually be a better idea in a small room as they would give an idea of more space rather than just a large closed box. What do you think?

Magic in a Pot of Tea

2011-12-08T13:57:00.008-05:00

There is magic in a pot of tea.

Power to soothe, to lift the spirits and envigorate.

Whenever someone is in need of a lift someone will suggest a cup of tea.

With good reason too.

I began to think about this when a friend was feeling low and I invited her over to share a pot of tea and talk things out.

The tea provided a magically healing environment that helped bring things back into perspective and raise spirits.

I like listening to old radio programs and one in particular , The Arthur Godfrey Show had Lipton Tea as its sponsor. "Take Tea and See!" said the jingle.

Now usually advertisements make outrageous claims that the product will make you all you ever wished you could be and then some, but , no, not these. Not one word was false.

Tea does all they claim it can and more. We even know that the anti oxidants it contains are good for you.

In the Little House on the Prairie series, Laura Ingles Wilder's father 'Pa', describes tea as "fragrant" and he loved a hot steaming cup when he was done working in the fields. And there is certainly no doubt they worked hard in those days.

And it doesn't seem to matter if its green, black, orange pekoe, white or all the shades in between, tea does seem to have magical , powerful qualities to it. It certainly does provide a calming atmosphere for a variety of things...most especially friendship.

And romance, since Victor Youman's song Tea for Two was considered a very romantic song back in the 1920's.Link takes you to the original recording from 1925.
The Duchess of Windsor, the former Wallis Simpson recalled in her biography dancing to Youman's Tea for Two in a sunken garden trimmed with paper lanterns in Shanghai.

I used to have tea a few nights a week with a dear friend and its one of the nicest things to do . It slows things down and the world seems less hectic.

You can see people pausing over tea, or coffee in a cafe with calm, tranquil expressions on their faces. They sip, pause, reflect...stare off into the distance meditating on things.

But, do you consider that this is but one of the many things in a utilitarian world that are put here for our use and enjoyment?

We have been given the gift to see, feel, taste and appreciate beauty in things that are around us, or help us, or are for our benefit.

It is a gift.

God has provided us with things to aid us in so many ways and given us the ability to have enjoyment from them too.

If that isn't love, I don't know what is.

Magic in a pot of tea, yes and a lot of love as well.

Lovely Lyrics

2011-12-07T19:16:00.002-05:00

All the time I thought
There's only me
Crazy in a way

Fall in the Pine Barrens by me

That no one else could be
I would have given everything I own
If someone would have said you're not alone

All the time I thought
That I was wrong
Wanting to be me,but needing to belong

If I had just believed in all I had
If someone would have said you're not so bad

All the time, all the wasted time
All the years, waiting for a sign
To think I had it all
All the time

All the time I thought
There's only me
Crazy in way that no one else could be
I can't believe that you where somewhere too
Thinking all the time there's only you

All the time, all the wasted time
All the years, waiting for a sign
To think I had it all
All the time.
Song and lyrics by Barry Manilow

End of Day

2011-12-06T15:31:00.000-05:00

We are still in the midst of a burst of springtime weather. It is warm and today a bit drizzly but, the birds are happy with this warmer weather.

Late afternoon in the salt marsh

Kitchen Fiasco

2011-12-02T12:04:00.004-05:00

My Kitchen Window

My kitchen sink was leaking badly. A new tap/faucet was called for. One of the parts did not fit, that was yesterday, today I still have no kitchen and it's Friday.
All the things from under the sink are on the counters and its a mess and , its Friday!!
Now I am sabbath observant, so I do not work from tonight until Saturday night and I do all my cooking for tonight and tomorrow, today. Yikes!
Well I am using the bathroom but what a hassle that is. One of these days a project will get done without all the delays and misfits but, I have no idea when that will be.
It isn't a huge catastrophe, of course, but Friday is not a good day for it.
Well.. not so fast, it is huge. The leak was ongoing and not noticed for a couple years evidently and now the sink underneath is rusted, and the counter is tilting downward. So, really the entire counter top, sink and faucet and maybe a cabinet need replacing, though I will most likely paint the cabinets white and be done with it. They are natural cherry now so, sad really. And, of course I am moving out and letting the 'ex' take the house. I have no choice anymore.
But, I just will probably only replace the faucet and let that be it. The work needed on the house is major and I just don't have the money for any of it. If I don't leave it will fall down around me sadly.
This is one of those things you look back on and laugh about though, right?? Well I hope so, sigh.
I have been through far tougher things in life. And it is a chance to be creative and I enjoy that.
The apartment is moving along nicely also, and I will post some photos and some info on that to show you some progress.
I am buying furniture for it and must install a tiny kitchen too and waiting on next payment for the book to do that.

Oh on the bronchitis, I am much better , still coughing slightly but overall a lot better! Thank you for your concern I appreciate it more than you know.
It is in the mid 50's here, sunny, blue skies and lovely. I hope you a lovely Friday and a relaxing and enjoyable weekend.

Sagittarian Birthdays

2011-12-01T10:59:00.005-05:00

My Favorite photo of
The Anonymous Kid

Today is the Famous Anonymous Kid's birthday so a special dinner for her will be on the menu for tonight.
The photo of her is a few years old but one of my all time favorites as it captures her sweetness perfectly.
We are a family of Sagittarians, the archer . Our family birthdays begin in November and run to January with one Taurus in May, my son.
Other than that we are almost all children of winter.We all enjoy archery and horses and the outdoors. Typical of Sagittarius if you go by such things. I find it interesting but don't live my life by such things.

~~~~~

I thought I would share a favorite cookie recipe with you. They are variously called Butter Balls, Mexican or Russian Wedding or Tea cookies but whatever you call them they are rich and delicious and very easy to make.
I put the recipe on a 5 X 7 card you can print out if you like.
Just right click , save as a jpg. to your own computer then print it out. Remember where you save it !

Winter Coming?

2011-11-30T10:15:00.004-05:00

Photo taken by my home

I have posted a winter header but then you know that I change them out often. I love monkeying around with the blog in one way or another. This blog is a part of me and who I am so like a little home, I redecorate and play with it.

Winter is approaching and officially arrives on December 21, the shortest day of the year.
You would not know it by the pleasant weather we have had this week. The sun is brilliant and the sky is bluer than blue,birds are singing as if it were spring and winter, well, it just seems light years away. Temperatures stayed in the mid 60's. Delightful all in all though it is chillier today.

Weather like this used to be called "Indian Summer", a time when autumn weather was warm and sunny. I, for one, would not mind if it stayed this way all through winter.There's been enough of the blizzardy weather for a lifetime.

It's harder to enjoy the ocean in frigid weather but, those of us who are diehard oceanistas really do enjoy it not matter what.
In the depth of winter the bay can take on a mystical look when it is frozen over solid from side to side.
Let that wait, though. I happy with what is right now.

All I want is a peaceful winter. A winter with some little happiness in it. I need that so much.
What kind of winter are you hoping for?

Who Would You Play in a Movie?

2011-11-28T08:46:00.000-05:00

We are all missing Toni and hoping she is soon back in the pink. It isn't the same when some are not blogging. It can be a real gap.

If a famous Hollywood producer was making a big budget film about the life of a famous person from any walk of life, who would you be picked to play?
Whose life would you be able to portray or who would you just like to have the chance to portray? Would it be a real life character or a fictional heroine or a cartoon character?

What about movies already made? Do you think you could be Cleopatra? Scarlett O'Hara or maybe Bette Davis in some wonderful role?

I could be Anne of Green Gables, maybe or Pollyanna if I were a kid.
Pollyanna and Mary Poppins were regular favorites for my kids growing up. They loved those stories.

I am much better from the bronchitis though still on medication. Thanks for your concern. Much appreciated!!
Trying to eat was awful as it made me have coughing spasms, sleep was difficult at times,as well as just not able to take in a full breath. It was just a miserable time of it and I seem to get it every time someone passes a cold along to me.
I would love to see the USA adopt the Japanese habit of wearing medical masks when sick out of consideration and love for others. Even more hand washing and concern for hygiene would be nice.
Why don't school buses spray with Lysol? Have hand sanitizer on the buses like the stores do now?
Our local grocers all have hand sanitizing wipes for your hands and the cart handles and baby seats. It is such a good idea and if people would use them or carry their own, it would cut down on sickness.

Hope you avoid sickness this winter.

Autumn Thoughts

2011-11-22T23:27:00.002-05:00

Swamp Maple in my front yard

I have bronchitis and was given the wrong meds so I am sicker than I should be right now. Grrr..
Also pharmacy didn't have my cough meds.. and I was too ill to think to ask them to call her for something else. All in all a bad day with incompetence all over the place.
I can hardly talk. Some might think that a good thing.

Today is my daughter's birthday. What a gem she is to me. I missed it since I am in self quarantine. I dont want the kids sick.
Autumn seems to draw more attention than most seasons. Is it the color?
One of my all time favorite movies is "You've Got Mail". I especially love this line:
Joe Fox: "Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms."
I like it because I love "bouquets" of pencils!
Then there are the autumn songs that capture the moment.

Two favorites.
(ocean sounds are at very bottom of blog and you can turn them down or off there)

Pecan Pie

2011-11-20T00:58:00.002-05:00

Pecan pie is good for Thanksgiving Day so if you celebrate the day you might like to try it. I recommend a store bought crust for holidays because frankly, it is just too much of a hassle on a holiday.
I make pies a day ahead and make my own crusts but, if you are not into that, buy a store brand , box or ready made, some of them really are very good.
Here is a recipe from the Farmer's Almanac that includes Rum.. You can leave that out if you like.

Pie Filling
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup light-brown sugar, packed
1 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon table salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) melted butter
1 tablespoon Kahlúa or rum (optional)
2 cups chopped or whole pecans
Whipped cream or ice cream
Single-Crust Pastry Dough
Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll Single-Crust Pastry Dough out from the center to an 11-inch circle, turning dough occasionally to avoid sticking. Transfer into a 9-inch glass pie plate.

Crimp edges; then put pie shell into the freezer while you prepare the filling.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and brown sugar. Slowly add corn syrup, vanilla extract, and salt, blending until smooth. Whisk in melted butter and rum (if you like). Stir in pecans.

Remove pie shell from freezer; pour pecan mixture into shell. Bake until edges are firm and pie stops jiggling in the center, about 40 minutes. (Shield crust edges after 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning.)