Recent Photos Inside and Outside

My kitchen table wasn't prepared to be photographed so this is a real life photo. I walked in and was stunned by the way the sun was shining on the apron of my farm table and luckily I had my phone in my hand.

This is probably a weed of some sort but the bright green color wass beautiful on a drab overcast day.

A new branch is forming on the blue spruce near my bedroom.

This wall near one of my French doors was photographed last night on "night mode" and doctored a little with Snapseed.

Have a great weekend.

xo 

Now Watching: THE LAST DETECTIVE

This series is so good. If you are looking for a kind and caring detective, this is the series for you too. I found it quite by accident on BritBox by typing the word detective in the search box. I finished Season One last night and found out this morning there are FOUR SEASONS and that made me so happy. It got its name because this low key detective is the LAST person his boss would choose if he wanted a case solved. He is the underdog of the office but that doesn't seem to bother him so he finds cases by himself and investigates secretly until they are solved. I think it is on Acorn too. Let me know if you like it or have already watched and recommend it too. It's considered to be both a Drama and a Comedy but it's not corny or silly. It's also on DVD if you want to borrow from your library.

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday and am working on having a pajama day today. Yesterday was an absolutely perfect day with mild weather and sunshine. Today it's raining and feels chilly and raw but the birds don't mind and neither do I. xo

Happy Thanksgiving 2022

Jessie Willcox Smith is one of my favorite illustrators.

I love these two giving thanks for their breakfast.

This illustration is from A Child's Book of Old Verses 

published in 1910 with 10 color illustrations.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

xo

Pam just commented she grew up with this illustration by JWS on her home's kitchen wall and I just had to know more. It was an advertisement for the American Radiator Company published sometime between 1910 and 1920. I love it.

Thanks, Pam.

xo

Crisp, Crunchy Leaves

This photo says the leaves are very dry and you just know if you squeezed them in your hands they would be crisp and crunchy, right? An older photo but one I like. I have gotten my house back in order since Missy was picked up this morning. Tomorrow I will shop for the dishes I am taking to a friend's house for Thanksgiving Dinner. xo

"Pumpkin" Bread

Photo found here.

I love this baker's kitchen. Isn't this bread that was styled like pumpkins beautiful? I love the floor to ceiling cabinet with glass doors full of jars filled with baking supplies. Clearly, a talented baker lives here and is all set to wow her Thanksgiving table this week.

xo

First Front Yard Bird Photos

I am so happy to see my woodpecker friend again.

Yum. These sunflowers seeds are SO good!

Look at that bird just landing with his legs still outstretched.

I like the shadow on the brick wall too.

Look at the bird still in midair on the left.

I am getting reacquainted with my Nikon 35mm camera. The original rechargeable battery finally went completely dead months and months ago. I got the camera in 2005 so that was a really long time for a battery to last, wasn't it? I finally ordered a replacement and it arrived this week, just in time for birdfeeder photos. YAY! 

xo

Goodnight Everyone from Missy

We just got in from a cold walk and Missy is tucked in tight. She loves this fleece blanket I pulled out for her. Today was very cold and windy and the birds were thankful for the sunflower seeds. The tube was filled this morning and only went down about 4 inches. Next week I will try to get some good bird photos. I am tucking in myself pretty soon to get ready for some PBS Sunday night viewing. xo

My Pantry - Wide View and A Detail

Tara Dillard must be a mindreader. Her comment in yesterday's post requested a photo or two of my pantry as she described hers. I had been experimenting with the wide angle lens on my camera phone and it worked to get the front window (with tin cat) and the rear window overlooking my red barn both in one photo. I have a bucket bench under the rear window and the lower shelves are filled with appliances that won't fit anywhere in my kitchen cabinets. My Instant Pot, Panini Press, Steam Iron and my KitchenAid stand mixer are just a few items. I keep seldom used things there too. This room was a small screened-in porch conversion for me and I continue to love it more each day. I pay my bills at the desk and stool under the "cat" window on my laptop (not shown). Paperwork is in the files shown in right corner. More shelves below for receipts, etc.

I should have tried to neaten my stack of pans to the left of the cookbooks but didn't. The wide shelves continue to the left of the pans with more bakeware in metal and glass. The hanging "onion" light fixture with amber glass was a garage sale find and it couldn't be more perfect.

Have a great Saturday.

More Missy photos tomorrow.

Maybe some birds too.

Click photos to enlarge.

xo

Ceiling detail, the center is one flat board. The boards leading up to the center are on an angle. Quick photo to answer Lisa D.'s question.

This pitcher is my newest addition to the shelf. I bought it along with my curtain rods at the Firehouse Flea Market in September and never mentioned it.

Pam loves my drafting table desk area. Here is my old 2019 post showing this area of my "office" in greater detail:

https://contentinacottage.blogspot.com/2019/02/my-home-office-in-pantry-rearranged.html

https://contentinacottage.blogspot.com/2010/08/desk-under-window-in-my-pantry.html

Both of these links show better photos of the drafting table desk in my pantry.

Missy's Back

I moved her dishes to another location by the radiator.

This was taken Thursday evening.

Friday morning, thawing out after a walk.

She likes this new cushion I bought at the Firehouse Flea Market in September. I have her until Tuesday morning. 

Thawed and back to the living room for a nap. I liked the head shadow made by the sun coming in through one of the French doors that open to my balcony. The other one is still closed because of the sun glare.

We'll see you later. 

PS: I will be adding photos to this post. 

I love popovers and have a special pan made for them. I have avoided making any for way too long because most recipes call for SO MUCH melted butter. This one calls for only one tablespoon. It's worth a try. If you don't have a popover pan you can use a muffin tin.

Click here for full recipe and the backstory.

xo

The Starlings Have Landed

The starlings ate all of the black oil sunflower seeds I spread out on the tree stump today in minutes. The small birds make them last all day. I uploaded a video of these greedy birds to my Instagram Story and saved it as a Highlight. Watch the video HERE. At this rate my 50 pounds of seeds won't last a month. I liked the shadow of the bird on the brick wall in this still photo. Starlings are not native to America. Read the history about how they arrived HERE. xo

For anyone who is bothered by mice and other rodents coming into the house because of the bird seed, please see this article written by a farmer who made up a recipe that works and does not harm any other wildlife. It has only two ingredients: packaged cornbread mix and baking soda. 

Click HERE for the article & recipe.

Pies with Fancy Top Crust

King Arthur Flour has a great article about fancy Pie Crusts:

Decorative pie crust tips Pastry lattice, braids, and more. 

It's that time of year with Thanksgiving a week away.

Maybe you will get an idea or two and try one!

xo