Not so bright and shiny at Honeysuckle Hill today...

 Little Miss Molly McGee is a sick pup last night and this morning. She is a tad better this day, but still not okay. I suspect a stomach bug or something.  If you've ever been owned by a Jack Russell, you know what drama queens they can be, so I hope that this is just something that will pass quickly.  Her daddy is very worried about her. But not so worried that he couldn't take off this morning.  Typical.

 She's sleeping comfortably, all snuggled up in her own personal fleece blanket. Yes, it has cats on it. That's why she loves it.  lol   But she's not her usual self and is very lethargic.  Her eyes do look much better this morning...




 I am wandering around like a zombie. I am tired (JRT in our bed all night, so I couldn't stretch out and sleep like usual)  and it was 14 when I woke up this morning and felt like 4.  My bones hurt. I was out in it a bit last evening, and the cold and wind went right through me. I never did warm up, and slept in long underwear and socks.  lol  Naturally, then I kept getting so hot I would throw the blankets off and lay on top of them until I was cold again. This went on all night. And I didn't go to bed until after midnight either.  Ya, ya,ya...


 This weather has gotten so cold the past few days, even for November. It seems like only a few  days ago it was back in the 70's, and I think it's this see-sawing weather change that makes it even worse.  I'm thinking, let's just get this winter over with !   Do it, and be done with it !!  But...nobody listens to me...lol


  Was supposed to go to a trivia event last night that I really didn't want to go to anyway.  Didn't go. Did go visit my old neighbor on Friday at her new house. It's beautiful and they are slowly settling in.  It's going to be SO much easier on her, and I am so glad for that. It was good to go there and meet another of her friends and see her mother again. There was an interesting little thing that happened as I was leaving that I am not going to share until I talk to her again and tell her...but it was something very sweet and it made me smile.


  Had lunch earlier in the week with my SIL and niece and we planned the Thanksgiving Day menu.  I am going to bake some sweet potato rolls and some other rolls or breads to take and a couple of pies. I will probably also take a relish tray with lots of my pickled goodies.  I can do the rolls through the week upcoming, and freeze them after partially baking.  The pies I can bake the day before. That way it will be easy enough to manage.  Not looking forward to the holidays this year, but am trying to whip myself into a better attitude about it all. Wish me luck.


 A beloved author and storyteller Anne McCaffrey died this past week at the ripe old age of 85.  She was an extraordinary and prolific writer who charmed millions of readers with her tales of dragons and magic. RIP, Lady Dragonholder...she was the first author I read in that genre, besides Isaac Asimov, which is an entirely different arm of science fiction that her lovely tales were.  I fell in love, as did many others, and it was the beginning of the end of my reading snobbery.



  And so life goes on, and the horrid cold is tempered by the stark and brilliant beauty of the hoarfrost on the ground and trees.  It is warm in the house, and I'm going to get some bread going in the bread machine this morning. The smell of bread baking is about as good a spell as I can conjure this day.  I am also trying my hand at making oat milk, a non-dairy alternative to the expensive stuff we buy. If it's halfway palatable (only use it on granola) I may never buy the rice or almond milk again. I always have tons of oats in my pantry, and it's looking like a total of about 50 cents a quart compared to 3 dollars a quart to buy the other. I'll let you know. It might be awful...lol...but there are a lot of recipes out there for it. I put the oats into the hot water last night and refrigerated them after mixing well. Today they will go into the blender with a little more water, be blended and then strained several times. Then add sweetener (which I added last night into the warm mixture since I was using honey and it mixes better in hot stuff) and a little vanilla and salt.  We'll see.


  Please keep me in your prayers these next few days, those of you who are so inclined. I need all the good energy and vibes I can get to make it through this coming week.  There may be some really big changes coming up in my life soon...and it makes me tired just thinking about it.  I am reminded that Mother Theresa said once :

"I know God won't give me more than I can handle.  I just wish he didn't trust me so much."

  Kinda how I'm feeling too.




Namaste.