In the quiet of the morning...

  Dance, puppet...DANCE.  lol

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  I woke up this morning thinking about my dad. I could hear the Irishman in the living room laughing and playing with the dogs, telling them to shush, 'cause mom's still sleeping.  To be honest I couldn't hear them at all, only him laughing. How blessed am I ?  The first time we spent a weekend together was at a campout, and when we woke up in the tent that morning, he woke up laughing and ON.  And I thought "Thank God--a man who doesn't take an hour to wake up enough to be civil and talkative!"  LOL  I have always been that person--the minute I wake up, I spring out of bed and and fling myself into the day. Smiling (usually).

  But this morning I woke up really sad that my dad never got to know this man...this man who has the heart of a giant and a pair of blue eyes that light up my world.  This man who carries spiders outside and gently puts them on the tree. This guy who caught a flying squirrel (that somehow [cats] got into our house once) in his ballcap and carried it a half mile from the house to let it go so the dogs wouldn't go after it.  This wonderful man who sits on the couch to read, and becomes a nesting place for assorted cats and dogs, who he accommodates with love. This guy whose love for nature rivals my fathers...the man who passed that love onto me as a child and it has stuck with me ever since.

  And then I jumped out of bed and grabbed my glasses so I wouldn't bump into the walls, and came out to the living room, where he sat in his underwear and socks, playing ball with the Jack Russell Terrorist.

  This is my life people.

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  I have some bread raising (rising?)  in the kitchen and some dirty dishes from breakfast waiting for me too. We had a big bowl of old fashioned oats, with walnuts and dried cranberries and brown sugar and cinnamon. So, not too many dishes, but enough to make it messy.  And I was looking around at my kitchen and thinking messy is okay, when you live out in the country and you work in your kitchen probably as much or more, than anywhere else in your house.  And I was thinking about how lived-in my house is...from the kitchen to the bathrooms. There is certainly no mistaking this place for any kind of show room. lol  But you know, we are really HAPPY here.  It's no mansion, probably not even a really NICE place. But love fills in the cracks like spackle from the heart. There is a lot of love here. And it's all ours. And that means something to these old folks. It's the kind of a blessing a lot people don't ever get to experience, and I'm just so grateful that we do.  And it must show, because everyone that has ever come here has loved it and immediately felt at home.

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  It's cold again today, but not as cold as yesterday was. Supposed to get back up in the high 40's by mid week.  I hope to get out to the studio and get some of my Christmas stuff out for some decorating.  Will just put up a couple of small fiber optic trees probably, and might even buy one of the little rosemary "trees" they like to sell this time of year around these parts.  I have a Santa collection, but last year I didn't even get half of it out. Probably time to go through it all and cull the least favorites. But not today.  :)  We have lots of fresh evergreens outside, so I will carefully take some down and bring it indoors for the decorating too.

  Today I am going top start a couple of projects: I'm going to make the Christmas wreath that Julie from Mooberry Farm made (go see her!!!)--the one from recycled plastic bags and a wire coat hanger. She put the complete directions on her page, and I can follow directions.  lol  The other thing is a batch of pickled cranberries. I got the cranberries yesterday.  It just sounds exciting to me, pickled cranberries. (I am a HUGE cranberry fan).  I also have a recipe to try, for a Vanilla Pear Jam. I bought the pears and vanilla beans the other day. And I want to make some orange marmalade--oranges are plentiful this time of year, and I have always wanted to make it and never have. The last 2 will have to wait for another day...the marmalade will be a day-off endeavor, since I suspect cooking oranges down to marmalade is a long process.

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  I can't tell you what a mixed blessing the internet and a computer is for me.  lol  One the one hand--gazillion of bits of information at the touch of a key.  On the other hand,  gazillion of bits of information to read through and go through and link to and sink in to....lol

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  Okay. I need to think about what to make for supper and whether it's going to be a soup or stew maybe?  I have some cubed pork in the freezer I could use to make a Jamaican goat stew with, since I don't have anything out there except ribs of the goat persuasion.  A hot lightly spicy  steaming bowl of chunks of succulent meat, sweet potatoes, okra, tomatoes in a thick gravy with a handful of dried corn thrown in for good measure.  That does sound good, doesn't it?  The bread this time is also loaded with whole grains and quinoa and flax seed and raw sunflower seeds.  I have some gingersnap bars still, loaded with molasses and ginger and ground cloves that will go well with a steaming cup of cocoa too, for after dinner snack. That will be after I get back from MissB's house tonight at 8...

  If I don't step away from the computer, none of this will happen.  So, here I go.

 Happy  Sunday, all y'all....

Namaste.